South Korea’s intelligence agency has reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s daughter is consolidating her position as a potential heir, but analysts urge caution over the latest news as they point to Pyongyang’s silence on the 12-year-old’s name.
They also voiced scepticism over the National Intelligence Service’s (NIS) assessment that Kim could hold a fourth summit with US President Donald Trump around March next year.
Observers say there is little sign the regime has begun laying the groundwork for a formal succession process for Kim’s daughter, Ju-ae.
“North Koreans do not even know her name, as the North’s propaganda outlets – including the ruling party’s official daily, Rodong Sinmun – have never publicised it, referring to her only as the ‘respected’ or ‘beloved’ child of the leader,” Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, told This Week in Asia.
“There is little indication that the party’s propaganda machine has begun any campaign to idolise her, as Ju-ae is still too young to assume an official title within the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.”
In a closed-door briefing to the National Assembly’s intelligence committee on Tuesday, the NIS reportedly said Ju-ae was “consolidating her position as a likely successor”.
