Kim Jong Un’s Daughter Ju Ae Has Younger Sibling, Seoul Says
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — WEB DESK: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, who is increasingly viewed by South Korean intelligence as his likely successor, is believed to have a younger sibling, Seoul’s spy agency said on Thursday.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said its current assessment is that Ju Ae is being groomed to eventually succeed her father and that she has a younger sibling whose gender remains unknown.
The assessment offers a rare glimpse into one of the world’s most secretive ruling families. Seoul’s intelligence authorities have previously said Kim Jong Un is believed to have three children, although uncertainty has persisted over their ages, gender and birth order.
The NIS said it was continuing efforts to determine whether Ju Ae also has an older brother. However, according to the agency, even if such a brother exists, intelligence assessments suggest he is not currently positioned to succeed Kim Jong Un.
Ju Ae first appeared publicly in 2022, when she accompanied her father to an intercontinental ballistic missile launch. Since then, her increasingly prominent presence alongside Kim at military and political events has fuelled speculation about her future role in the North Korean leadership.
Those signals have become more noticeable in recent months. During the September 6 commissioning of North Korea’s new Kang Kon destroyer, Ju Ae stood prominently beside her father, received salutes and accompanied him aboard the warship. Reuters reported that South Korean intelligence believes Pyongyang continues to take steps positioning her as Kim’s successor.
North Korean state media have previously used unusually elevated descriptions for Ju Ae, including language associated with senior leadership, further intensifying outside speculation over her status.
However, North Korea has not publicly confirmed Ju Ae as Kim Jong Un’s successor, and information about the leader’s family remains tightly controlled. Assessments about his other children therefore largely depend on South Korean intelligence and external analysis rather than official confirmation from Pyongyang.
The succession question carries considerable geopolitical importance because the Kim family has governed North Korea since the country’s founding in 1948. Any indication of a future leadership transition is closely watched amid Pyongyang’s continued expansion of its nuclear and missile capabilities.
