South Korea says 'credible intelligence' indicates Kim Jong Un's daughter is his successor

## Summary
Advertisement East Asia South Korea says 'credible intelligence' indicates Kim Jong Un's daughter is his successor Seoul's spy agency said recent pictures of Kim Jong Un's teenage daughter driving a tank were intended to highlight her supposed military aptitude and dispel doubts over a female heir. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae ride a tank during what North Korean state news agency KCNA reports is an offensive tactical drill involving a new type of tank, at a training base in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Mar 19, 2026, in this picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (Photo: KCNA via REUTERS) 06 Apr 2026 05:21PM (Updated: 06 Apr 2026 05:34PM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST SEOUL: Korea's spy agency now believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's teenage daughter has been positioned as his successor, lawmakers said on Monday (Apr 6), citing a recent public display of her driving a tank that was likely intended to dispel any doubts. The NIS said the imagery of the daughter driving a tank was intended to highlight her supposed military aptitude and dispel doubts over a female heir, lawmakers said.

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East Asia
South Korea says 'credible intelligence' indicates Kim Jong Un's daughter is his successor
Seoul's spy agency said recent pictures of Kim Jong Un's teenage daughter driving a tank were intended to highlight her supposed military aptitude and dispel doubts over a female heir.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae ride a tank during what North Korean state news agency KCNA reports is an offensive tactical drill involving a new type of tank, at a training base in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Mar 19, 2026, in this picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. (Photo: KCNA via REUTERS)
06 Apr 2026 05:21PM
(Updated: 06 Apr 2026 05:34PM)
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SEOUL: Korea's spy agency now believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's teenage daughter has been positioned as his successor, lawmakers said on Monday (Apr 6), citing a recent public display of her driving a tank that was likely intended to dispel any doubts.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers its assessment was not based on circumstantial inference but on what it described as "credible intelligence" collected by the agency, according to briefings by ruling and opposition party members after a closed-door parliamentary meeting.
The NIS said the imagery of the daughter driving a tank was intended to highlight her supposed military aptitude and dispel doubts over a female heir, lawmakers said.
North Korea's state-run media KCNA last month published photos of Kim and his daughter driving a new tank, following earlier images showing her
firing a rifle at a shooting range and using a handgun
.
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Such scenes are intended to pay "homage" to Kim's own public military appearances during the early 2010s when he was being prepared to succeed his own father, ruling Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sun-won said.
The latest assessment of Kim's daughter, who is believed to be around 13 and to be named Ju Ae, is a progression from earlier analysis by the spy agency which said she was likely being groomed to succeed her father.
Ju Ae's repeated presence at
defence-related events
is aimed at easing doubts over a female successor and accelerating the construction of a succession narrative, the lawmakers said, citing the NIS.
Lawmakers have previously said the agency believes her increasingly prominent role suggests she is already being treated as the de facto second-highest figure in the North’s leadership.
People Power Party lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said the NIS noted that suggestions Kim's younger sister Kim Yo Jong might be unhappy about the focus on Ju Ae were misplaced, as Kim Yo Jong does not hold independent power.
Some North Korea experts, however, urged caution in interpreting the images as definitive succession signals.
Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Ju Ae's tank appearance alone was insufficient to conclude she had been confirmed as Kim's heir, noting she appeared alongside her father rather than independently, unlike Kim Jong Un's own solo military appearances during his grooming phase.
Related:
North Korea's Kim Jong Un reappointed as president of state affairs
Kim Jong Un says North Korea’s nuclear status is irreversible, threatens South Korea
Source: Reuters/ec
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less Such scenes are intended to pay "homage" to Kim's own public military appearances during the early 2010s when he was being prepared to succeed his own father, ruling Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sun-won said.
- Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said Ju Ae's tank appearance alone was insufficient to conclude she had been confirmed as Kim's heir, noting she appeared alongside her father rather than independently, unlike Kim Jong Un's own solo military appearances during his grooming phase.

### Implications
- People Power Party lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said the NIS noted that suggestions Kim's younger sister Kim Yo Jong might be unhappy about the focus on Ju Ae were misplaced, as Kim Yo Jong does not hold independent power.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers kim, korea, north topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 769.