North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, is believed to have a younger sibling, South Korea’s spy agency says. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) says it assesses Kim Ju Ae is being groomed as a successor figure and that she has a younger sibling of unknown gender.
Seoul previously told the public that Kim Jong Un has three children, but there has been uncertainty about how many children he has and the order of their birth. The NIS says it is still verifying whether Kim Ju Ae has an older brother, while also stating that even if such a sibling exists, the person would not be in a position to become the successor. Kim Ju Ae has been publicly introduced since 2022, when she accompanied her father during a launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, and she has later appeared at major political events, including a visit to Beijing.
North Korean state media have also used titles for her described as “beloved” and “great person of guidance,” terms typically associated with top leadership and successors. Coverage across outlets largely repeats Seoul’s assessment, with emphasis ranging from the possibility of a younger sibling to the broader uncertainty about the family’s overall succession structure.
