South Korea’s intelligence service is trying to determine more about the children of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, including reports that his daughter Kim Ju Ae has an older brother—but officials say the uncertainty has not changed their assessment that Ju Ae remains the leading potential successor.
The latest intelligence assessment adds another layer of mystery to North Korea’s carefully guarded succession plans, where even basic information about Kim’s family remains largely undisclosed.
Ju Ae remains the leading succession figure
According to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), Kim Ju Ae, believed to be around 13, continues to be viewed as the most likely successor to her father.
The NIS is still trying to verify whether Kim has an older son, according to South Korean officials. But even if such a son exists, the agency says he is not currently considered to be in a position to inherit the leadership.
That is significant because previous reports have suggested that Kim Jong Un may have multiple children, but North Korea has never publicly provided a clear account of them.
The NIS has also said Kim has a younger child whose sex has not been confirmed.
In other words, the mystery surrounding Kim Jong Un’s family is far from solved.
Who is Kim Ju Ae?
Kim Ju Ae first became publicly known internationally in November 2022, when North Korean state media showed her accompanying her father at an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
Since then, her public appearances have increased dramatically.
She has appeared alongside Kim at:
- missile and weapons events;
- military parades;
- weapons-production facilities;
- naval ceremonies;
- national commemorations;
- diplomatic and international events; and
- major state celebrations.
Reuters reported that her progression from an almost unknown child to a prominent figure has increasingly been interpreted as a carefully managed succession narrative.
North Korean state media have also shifted the language used to describe her, moving from references such as “beloved” or “precious” daughter to the more politically significant description “respected” daughter.
From watching missiles to riding a tank
One of the clearest signs of Ju Ae’s changing public role came in March 2026, when North Korean state media published images of her riding a tank alongside her father during a military exercise.
South Korea’s NIS subsequently told lawmakers that the display was likely intended to highlight her military credentials and counter doubts about whether a woman could inherit North Korea’s leadership.
The intelligence agency described its assessment that Ju Ae had been positioned as Kim’s successor as being based on what it called credible intelligence, rather than simply on her repeated appearances beside her father.
However, experts have urged caution.
Analyst Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification said the tank appearance by itself was not enough to establish that Ju Ae had been formally confirmed as heir, noting that she continued to appear alongside her father rather than independently.
What about the rumored older brother?
This is where the latest intelligence assessment becomes particularly intriguing.
South Korean authorities have previously reported that Kim Jong Un may have an older son. In 2023, the NIS said it had information indicating that Kim had an elder brother for Ju Ae and a younger sibling whose gender was unknown. At that time, however, the agency said some details about the children could not be independently verified.
The latest assessment shows that questions surrounding the alleged older brother remain unresolved.
And according to the newest NIS position, even if the son exists, Ju Ae remains the more prominent succession figure.
That is an important distinction: reports about an older brother should not be presented as proof that North Korea has secretly chosen a male heir.
North Korea has never officially revealed the full picture
The secrecy surrounding Kim’s children is consistent with the regime’s broader approach to the Kim family.
North Korean state media have provided very little biographical information about Ju Ae. Even her exact birth date and officially confirmed name remain unclear to outside observers.
South Korean intelligence believes she is around 13, while the name “Ju Ae” traces back to comments made by former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who said after a 2013 visit to Pyongyang that he had met Kim’s baby daughter. Reuters has also noted that North Korean state media itself has not provided a conventional biography of her.
That makes intelligence assessments particularly important—but also means that many details about Kim’s family must be treated cautiously.
Why Ju Ae’s rise matters
North Korea has been ruled by the Kim family since its founding in 1948.
Kim Il Sung was followed by his son, Kim Jong Il, who was in turn succeeded by Kim Jong Un after his father’s death in 2011.
All three leaders have been men.
A future leadership transition to Ju Ae would therefore represent a major break with North Korea’s historical pattern.
CNA previously reported that analysts see her increasingly prominent appearances as a deliberate effort to establish her as a future leader, while also noting that Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s younger sister, remains an important and powerful figure who could potentially play a role if a transition were ever required before Ju Ae reached adulthood.
Seoul is watching the succession carefully
The succession question is particularly important because Kim Jong Un is still relatively young and there is no indication of an imminent transfer of power.
But North Korea has nevertheless been giving Ju Ae an unusually prominent public education in the country’s military and political symbolism.
In 2026 alone, she has been seen in increasingly consequential settings, including military events. In July, she accompanied her father to commemorations marking the Korean War armistice, another indication of how her public role has expanded beyond missile launches.
More recently, Kim has also continued presenting his daughter prominently during major state events, reinforcing the impression that her position inside the regime is becoming increasingly important.
The bigger mystery: Is there another Kim child waiting in the shadows?
The latest intelligence assessment doesn’t necessarily mean North Korea has revealed a hidden succession plan.
Instead, it highlights just how little the outside world knows about Kim Jong Un’s family.
There may be an older brother. There is reportedly also a younger child. Yet the daughter who was first shown to the world holding her father’s hand at a missile launch has now become the person South Korean intelligence considers the leading potential successor.
For now, Ju Ae’s exact future remains uncertain.
But one thing is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: North Korea is steadily moving her from the shadows of the Kim dynasty into the center of its public stage.
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