Kim Jong Un chooses teenage daughter as new heir
Kim Ju Ae made her first appearance on state television in 2022, where she inspected North Korea's latest intercontinental ballistic missile while holding her father's hand
Kim Jong Un has chosen his 13-year-old daughter as his heir to extend the North Korean dynasty to a fourth generation, South Korea says.
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Kim Ju Ae, believed to be 13, is the only known child of Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju.
South Korea's spy agency believe there is an older son, but he has never been acknowledged nor shown on North Korean media.
She made her first appearance on state television in 2022, where she inspected North Korea's latest intercontinental ballistic missile while holding her father's hand.
Succession rumoured have spiralled after she has been spotted at various high-profile events with her father in recent years, including the delegations trip to Beijing in September for China's largest-ever military parade.
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South Korea's spy agency, after making the succession assessment, said they would keep tabs on whether Ju Ae will attend North Korea's party Congress later this month.
During the major political event, Jong Un is expected to give more details about priorities like foreign policy, war planning and nuclear ambitions for the next five years.
Images of the pair have sparked interest as photos published by the state media are believed to carry a great symbolic weight. Ju Ae is one of the only individuals to be pictured as prominently in the frame as her father.
On Thursday lawmaker Lee Seong-kwen said Ju Ae, who was previously described by the security agency as being "trained" to be a successor, was now at the stage of "successor designation".
"As Kim Ju Ae has shown her presence at various events, including the founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army and her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and signs have been detected of her voicing her opinion on certain state policies, the NIS believes she has now entered the stage of being designated as successor," Mr Seong-kwen said.
Questions remain about her succession as North Korea could have a male heir. The secretive state is known to be a deeply patriarchal society.
As well, Jong Un's, Kim Yo Jong, offers another choice for an heir as she currently holds a senior position in the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Moreover, Jong Un seems to appear young and relatively healthy to be naming a successor.