Could Kim's teen daughter become North Korea's next leader?

Could Kim's teen daughter become North Korea's next leader? 1 hour ago Share Save Jake Kwon , Seoul correspondent and Leehyun Choi , Seoul Share Save As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened Seoul and vowed to continue expanding his sanctioned nuclear weapons programme at the party congress, the big question was whether his 13-year-old daughter would be anointed as his heir. That news, or any unquestionable indication of it, didn't materialise this week. But it has launched a debate about the young Kim Ju Ae's viability as the next leader for the country of 25 million - a dictatorship which has only ever been ruled by a member of the Kim family. The party congress, a key meeting of North Korean leaders and officials that takes place every five years, is usually watched closely for Kim's message to Seoul and Washington. But this time the focus shifted. Last week Seoul's spy agency briefed lawmakers that it believes Kim has selected his daughter as his heir, and that she was seen giving her opinion on policy matters. Although she is becoming more visible alongside her father on state media, much about her remains a mystery. North Korea has never published her name or age. Her existence was first publicised when basketball star Dennis Rodman told The Guardian her name after his visit to Pyongyang in 2013. She is widely believed to be 13 years old partly based on estimates by intelligence reports. Seoul's spy agency had earlier said she has an older brother, but they have since distanced themselves from the assessment. "It was an intelligence failure," says Cheong Seong-chang, a North Korea watcher and vice-president at Sejong Institute who was an early proponent of the theory that Ju Ae will become the heir. Cheong and other analysts now believe that Ju Ae is the oldest child and has a nine-year-old sister. She first appeared in public in a state TV report in 2022, holding her father's hand while inspecting North Korea's latest missile. Cheong says her TV appearan...