South Korea’s ex-spy chief dismisses report Kim Jong-un’s daughter Ju-ae will be successor

The NIS reported to the National Assembly on Monday that Ju-ae was being groomed to succeed her father, though the selection was not final, and he could ultimately choose someone else.

The intelligence agency said its assessment came after analysing her appearances at public events such as missile launches and military parades, and the appellations North Korea used to refer to her.

Ju-ae made her public debut in November 2022 when she joined her parents at an inspection of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Since then, appellations for her in the North’s state news media have been upgraded from the “beloved” child to “respected” child, to the “Morning Star” of the country and, most recently in March, great “Hyangdo” (great person of guidance).

It marked the first time North Korean state media addressed her and her father with the same appellation – “great persons of guidance” – fuelling speculation among analysts that Ju-ae is being groomed to follow in her father’s footsteps.

“This indicates her being groomed as the successor,” said Ahn Chan-il, president of the World Institute for North Korea Studies.

Kim Jong-un and his late father, Kim Jong-il, were similarly celebrated as the country’s “Morning Star” when they were being groomed for leadership, Ahn noted.

He pointed out that Kim Jong-un has mostly brought his daughter to military events, a strategy perceived as an effort to garner military support for her potential succession.

“Given all these public displays, introducing an unknown male successor at this point would only lead to significant confusion among North Koreans,” Ahn said during an interview on YTN TV on Tuesday.

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