KIM Jong Un’s 11-year-old daughter is most likely to become the next tyrant and rule North Korea, said the South’s spy agency.
This is the first time Kim Ju Ae has been acknowledged as the despot’s heir by the National Intelligence Service.
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But the NIS said it was still considering “all possibilities” in the succession plan.
“Based on a comprehensive analysis of public activities and the level of respect for Kim Ju Ae since her initial public appearance, at present, she appears to be the most likely successor,” said the NIS.
“But we are keeping our eyes open for all possibilities because Kim Jong Un is still young, has no major health problems, and there are many variables.”
The intense speculations come after the young heiress was seen with her father in public outings last month.
Most recently, she accompanied him to the December launch of North Korea’s Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile.
The South Korea’s spy agency gave their assessment soon before the tensions in the region escalated.
On Friday morning, North Korea fired 200 artillery shells into the sea north of the border.
Immediately after, South Korean authorities issued evacuation orders but no citizens or members of the armed forces were harmed.
The North continued to fire shells until 11 a.m in what the South called “an act of provocation that escalates tensions and threatens peace on the Korean Peninsula”.
Miss Kim is thought to be the tyrant’s second oldest child, and little is known about Kim’s family.
The despot is deeply secretive about his children and even his wife was kept a secret until some time after the pair married.
If Kim Ju Ae ascends to power, she would become the fourth member of the dynasty to lead the country and the first female leader in the country’s history.
Since its establishment in 1948, North Korea has exclusively been ruled by male members of the Kim family.
Introducing Miss Kim to the public so early on could be a way to overcome prejudices in a deeply patriarchal regime.
She has kept a high profile since her first public appearance in November 2022.
But the recent change in the way she’s being referred to in regime propaganda further fuelled the speculations.
According to reports, she’s been dubbed the “Morning Star General” and has gone from being a “beloved” child to a “respected” child.
Before coming to power, Kim Jong Un was referred to as “respected comrade” only after his status as future leader was cemented.
Another giveaway is the recent photograph of the father-daughter duo which doesn’t appear unusual at first.
But one detail could be a major hint as Miss Kim is photographed standing in front of her father, partially obscuring the view of his left side.
It was an “unprecedented” move that pointed to her being Kim’s heir apparent, reported the Chosun Ilbo, a newspaper in neighbouring South Korea.
To block the camera’s view of Kim Jong-un is a major taboo in North Korea.
It’s one of several clues that’s led South Korea’s National Intelligence Service to believe she’s being groomed for power.
Cho Tae-yong, director of South Korea’s National Security Office, told KBS: “Looking at what has been said so far, I think we should now consider Kim Ju-ae as the successor and verify it.”
Meanwhile, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho noted the “escalating level of protocol” around the girl.
He said: “If we look at these things, we cannot rule out the possibility of her succession to power, given that they are putting her on the main stage so early.”
As well as her suspected privilege in the political realm, NK News reported that the eyewear Kim Ju Ae is flaunting in the photos with her father are the discontinued Gucci GG3644/S D28 ED sunglasses.
These sunglasses are only available secondhand and can fetch anywhere between £60 to £227.
This comes amidst crackdowns on “bourgeois culture” and “anti-socialist” behaviour in North Korea.
It is not the first time that Pyongyang elites have flouted their own rules, and Kim Ju Ae has been pictured wearing designer goods on several occasions.
On her first public outing with her father last year, she wore a £1,500 Dior Kid’s jacket to a test launch of a nuclear missile.
The pair were pictured walking hand in hand whilst inspecting the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile just before it was fired.
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