South Korea's spy agency said on Thursday that the 10-year-old daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen as his likely heir apparent.
Ten-year-old Kim Ju Ae was unveiled to the outside world a little more than a year ago when she watched a long-range missile test launch with her father in November 2022.
There has been intense speculation since then around the girl, who has accompanied her father at several major public events.
The state media calls Kim Ju Ae father's “most beloved” or “respected” child with visuals of her rising political standing and closeness with Kim Jong Un surfacing regularly.
In December last year also, photographs of her standing in front of her father at one point during a visit to the air force headquarters surfaced, with both Kims seen wearing sunglasses and long leather jackets.
In a New Year's Eve celebration at a packed Pyongyang stadium Sunday, Kim Jong Un kissed her on the cheek and she did the same to her father.
Citing a thorough analysis of her public activities and the state protocol provided to her South Korea's main spy agency National Intelligence Service said on Thursday that it sees Kim Ju Ae as her father's highly likely successor, an AP report mentioned.
The NIS public affairs office told AP that it still considers all possibilities regarding the North's power succession process because Kim, who is turning 40 next week, is still young, has no major health issues, and has at least one other child.
The news agency said that in phone conversations, Youn Kun-Young, a member of parliament's intelligence committee, reconfirmed NIS chief Cho Tae-yong assessment, which matched what the NIS told the AP. He said Cho's written responses to his questions contained no other details about Kim Ju Ae.
The NIS has a reputation of being uneven in confirming developments in North Korea, one of the world's most secretive nations. North Korea's state media have yet to make any direct comments on the succession plan.
Du Hyeogn Cha, an analyst at Seoul's Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said while the NIS currently sees a high possibility for Kim Ju Ae to be primed as her father's successor, few can predict whether she would eventually become the North's next leader. Cha added that Kim Ju Ae lacks political achievements that he believes are essential to be formally anointed as the country's future leader, AP report said.
NIS and other South Korean officials earlier said it was premature to view Kim Ju Ae as her father's heir, given Kim Jong Un's relatively young age and North Korea's power ranking which is known for being male nominated. They had said the girl's repeated appearances were more likely meant to shore up public support of Kim's ruling family and his plan to hand over his power to one of his children, the report said.
