February 13, 2026
SEOUL – Kim Ju-ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is on course to be the official second in line for power, South Korean lawmakers said Thursday, citing a National Intelligence Service briefing at the National Assembly.
“The NIS assesses that North Korea is in the stage of designating Kim Ju-ae as the successor,” Rep. Lee Seong-kweun of the main opposition People Power Party told reporters after the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee.
The spy agency cited Kim Ju-ae’s recent public appearance at Kumsusan mausoleum in January and the 80th anniversary of its air force last year, as well as her open remarks about a policy during his father’s onsite inspections, which “boosted her profile,” according to Lee.
The daughter of the powerful North Korean leader is now believed to be aged 13.
In this regard, the NIS will keep close tabs on the ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party in late February, held for the first time in five years, over Kim Ju-ae’s presence at the event, the level of ceremonial protocols for her and the use of her real name during the event, among others, Lee added.
The NIS previously stated in July 2024 that Kim Ju-ae was undergoing training as her father’s successor. Kim Jong-un is grandson of Kim Il-sung, late founder of North Korea and third son of Kim Il-sung’s successor Kim Jong-il.
Rep. Park Sun-won of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, who also attended the NIS briefing, said North Korea has spotlighted her status as the nation’s second-most powerful figure, adding that this is different from the past, when North Korea gradually revealed its succession narrative.
The NIS, however, did not indicate during its briefing whether North Korea would reinstate Kim Jong-un as the “president” of North Korea. Pyongyang already refers to the incumbent leader as the head of state, unlike his late father Kim Jong-il, according to Park of the Democratic Party.
Citing the NIS briefing, Park added that there was a possibility of North Korean leader and US President Donald Trump holding a summit “remains open” once conditions are met, although Pyongyang appears to have made no concrete actions. According to the spy agency, Pyongyang’s move to refrain from testing its intercontinental ballistic missiles signals that Pyongyang has not “ruled out” talks between Kim Jong-un and Trump.
Meanwhile, concerning the deepening cooperation between North Korea and Russia Ukraine War, the number of high-level visits between Pyongyang and Moscow surged 26 percent to 49 in 2025. Over 10,000 North Korean soldiers are still deployed to the battlefield to fight Ukraine alongside Russian armed forces, according to the NIS briefing revealed by Park.
Despite suffering over 6,000 casualties during the Ukraine War, North Korea has accumulated military expertise, especially in terms of drone operations, according to Park.
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