Kim Jong Un’s daughter is his ‘most likely successor’: Seoul spy agency



News Kim Jong Un’s daughter is his ‘most likely successor’: Seoul spy agency Statement marks first time NIS has identified child as future leader, after previously expressing skepticism Joon Ha Park \| Shreyas Reddy January 4, 2024 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Kim Jong Un and his daughter watch a New Year's performance in Pyongyang. \| Image: KCNA (Jan. 1, 2024) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter is his “most likely successor,” according to the man tipped as the next head of Seoul’s spy agency. The statement by National Intelligence Service (NIS) director nominee Cho Tae-yong marks the first time South Korean intelligence has explicitly identified her as the DPRK’s next leader. “Based on analyses of her public activities and the level of respect shown toward her since her [first] appearance, [the daughter] Kim Ju Ae appears to be the most likely successor at the moment,” Cho said in a parliamentary report for his confirmation hearing, according to lawmaker Youn © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

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Kim Jong Un’s daughter is his ‘most likely successor’: Seoul spy agency

Statement marks first time NIS has identified child as future leader, after previously expressing skepticism

Joon Ha Park | Shreyas Reddy January 4, 2024

Kim Jong Un’s daughter is his ‘most likely successor’: Seoul spy agency

Kim Jong Un and his daughter watch a New Year's performance in Pyongyang. | Image: KCNA (Jan. 1, 2024)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s daughter is his “most likely successor,” according to the man tipped as the next head of Seoul’s spy agency.

The statement by National Intelligence Service (NIS) director nominee Cho Tae-yong marks the first time South Korean intelligence has explicitly identified her as the DPRK’s next leader.

“Based on analyses of her public activities and the level of respect shown toward her since her [first] appearance, [the daughter] Kim Ju Ae appears to be the most likely successor at the moment,” Cho said in a parliamentary report for his confirmation hearing, according to lawmaker Youn

About the Authors

Joon Ha Park

Joon Ha Park is a correspondent at Korea Risk Group. He has previously written on issues related to the two Koreas at The Peninsula Report, and appeared on ABC News Australia, Deutsche Welle and Monocle Radio. He specializes in offering in-depth analyses of South Korea’s defense policy, security relations and domestic politics for Korea Pro.

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Shreyas Reddy

Shreyas Reddy is the Lead Correspondent at NK News, based in Seoul. He previously worked as a researcher at BBC Monitoring, where his work focused on news and key people and organizations from the Korean Peninsula, Japan, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Follow him on Twitter.

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