Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
4 min of reading 
0 comments 
South Korean intelligence revealed that the assessment of Kim Jong-un’s daughter named Ju Ae, who is about 13 years old, has evolved from probable successor to confirmed successor in North Korea, and that her public appearances in tanks and shooting ranges mimic the preparation process that Kim himself underwent.
The South Korean intelligence agency now believes that Kim Jong-un’s teenage daughter has been positioned as his successor in the leadership of North Korea. According to information from the portal usatoday, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) informed lawmakers that this assessment is not based on circumstantial inferences, but on “reliable information” collected by the agency, a significant distinction that raises the level of certainty of South Korean intelligence regarding succession in the most closed regime on the planet.
The revelation came after a closed-door parliamentary meeting and was confirmed by members of both the ruling and opposition parties. Ju Ae, who is believed to be about 13 years old, was recently seen driving a new tank alongside her father and, in previous appearances, shooting a rifle at a shooting range and using a pistol. For the intelligence of South Korea, these scenes are not random; they are a deliberate strategy to build her image as a successor, replicating the process through which Kim Jong-un himself went in the early 2010s.
What South Korea knows about Ju Ae’s preparation as a successor
The latest assessment from the NIS represents a clear evolution. Previously, the agency stated that Ju Ae was likely being prepared to succeed her father. Now, South Korean intelligence treats the succession as an established fact; Ju Ae is no longer being “considered,” but “positioned” as the heir to the leadership of North Korea. The change in language is not subtle; it indicates that new information supports this conclusion.
-
The Civil Defense issued a red alert amid the advance of the cold front in southern Brazil, where instability is increasing and the chance of problems is becoming more serious.
-
At over 2,400 meters above sea level, Pico da Tripla Divisão is a rare mountain where a single drop of rain can take paths that lead to three different oceans.
-
With 75 mutations and confirmed circulation in 23 countries, a subvariant of Covid-19 challenges part of the protection against infection and reinforces the warning about the decline in vaccination.
-
New RG can be delivered by the Post Office in some states, such as São Paulo and Minas Gerais; see how to request it.
Lawmakers reported that the NIS interpreted Ju Ae’s military appearances as part of a campaign to build her credibility among the regime’s elites and the population.
Representative Park Sun-won, from the Democratic Party, stated that Ju Ae’s scenes in tanks and shooting ranges aim to “honor” Kim Jong-un’s public appearances at military events when he himself was being prepared to succeed his father, Kim Jong-il.
North Korea would be replicating a tested script, adapting it for a female successor.
Why North Korea is showing Ju Ae driving tanks and shooting
Last month, the North Korean state news agency KCNA published photos of Kim Jong-un and Ju Ae driving a new tank together. Prior to that, images showed the teenager shooting a rifle and handling a pistol.
According to South Korean intelligence, these appearances have a specific purpose: to dispel doubts about a female heir in a deeply patriarchal society and in a regime where leadership has always been male.
North Korea has never had a female leader. The Kim dynasty, which has ruled since the country’s founding in 1948, has passed from grandfather to father and from father to son, always in a male line.
Placing a 13-year-old girl in high-visibility military situations is the way the regime has found to normalize the idea of a female successor, building from an early age the narrative that Ju Ae has military aptitude and is worthy of the role even though, in practice, she is a child. For North Korea, image is the message.
What skeptics say about succession in North Korea
Not all analysts agree with the NIS’s optimistic assessment. Hong Min, an analyst at the Korean Institute for National Unification, warned of the need for caution.
He noted that Ju Ae appeared alongside her father in the tank, and not alone — an important difference when compared to Kim Jong-un’s solo military appearances during his own preparation phase for leadership in North Korea.
The argument is that the father’s presence alongside relativizes the symbolism of the scene. When Kim Jong-un was being prepared to succeed Kim Jong-il, he appeared at military events independently, projecting his own authority.
Ju Ae, for now, always appears accompanied — which for some analysts suggests that she is being presented, but not necessarily confirmed as the sole successor.
North Korea is a regime where details of protocol and positioning in photographs carry deep political significance, and the interpretation of these images divides experts.
The role of Kim Yo Jong and what she thinks about her niece
One of the questions surrounding succession in North Korea is the position of Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong-un’s younger sister and one of the most powerful figures in the regime.
Representative Lee Seong-kweun, from the People’s Power Party, reported that the NIS dismissed suggestions that Kim Yo Jong would be dissatisfied with the focus on Ju Ae, arguing that Kim’s sister does not hold independent power.
This assessment is relevant because Kim Yo Jong is treated by many international observers as the second most influential person in North Korea, someone with an active voice in foreign policy and propaganda decisions.
If South Korean intelligence is correct and Kim Yo Jong does not have autonomous power, the succession to Ju Ae would face less internal resistance than might be assumed.
But the opacity of the regime makes any analysis of internal power dynamics necessarily speculative, even when supported by “reliable information” from an intelligence agency.
What do you think: can a 13-year-old girl really be being prepared to lead North Korea? Will the Kim dynasty survive another transition? Leave your opinion in the comments.
Seja o primeiro a reagir!