SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s intelligence agency told lawmakers Thursday that it believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter is close to being named the country’s future leader as she moves to extend the dynasty into a fourth generation.

The National Intelligence Service’s assessment comes as North Korea prepares to hold its largest political conference later this month, where Kim is expected to outline his main policy goals for the next five years and take steps to tighten his authoritarian rule.

National Intelligence Service officials said in a private conference that they are closely monitoring whether Kim’s daughter, whose name is Kim Ju-ae and is believed to be about 13 years old, will appear with Kim in front of thousands of delegates at the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress, said Rep. Lee Sung-eun, who attended the meeting.

Kim Jue, who first appeared in public during a long-range missile test in November 2022, has since accompanied her father to an increasing number of events, including weapons tests, military parades and factory openings. She traveled to Beijing with Kim in September last year for the first summit in six years between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which took place during World War II.

Speculation about her political future intensified last month when she visited Pyongyang’s Geumchosan Palace of the Sun on New Year’s Day with her parents. This palace is a sacred mausoleum where the embalmed bodies of my late grandfather and great-grandfather are on display. Some experts saw the visit as the clearest sign yet that she was positioned to succeed her 42-year-old father.

South Korean officials initially expressed doubts about her being chosen to lead North Korea, citing the country’s deeply conservative culture and male-dominated leadership tradition. But her increasingly prominent appearances in state media are prompting a reassessment.

When the National Intelligence Service assessed Kim Ju Ai’s status in September, it told lawmakers that Kim Jong Un’s decision to accompany her on his China trip was likely part of an effort to build a “narrative” that could pave the way for her successor.

“In the past, the (National Intelligence Service) described Kim Joo-ae as being in the midst of ‘successor training.’ What was notable today was that they used the term ‘successor nomination stage,’ which is a very important change,” Lee said.

Lee said the bureau cited her increasing presence at high-profile military events, her participation in family visits to Mt. Geumcho, and signs that Kim Jong-un is beginning to seek her opinion on certain policy issues.

Not much is known about Kim’s daughter.

Despite her growing profile in propaganda, North Korean state media has never published Kim Jong Un’s daughter’s name, referring only to her as Kim Jong Un’s “respected” or “most beloved” child.

The idea that her name is Kim Joo-ae is based on testimony from former NBA star Dennis Rodman. Rodman recalled holding Kim Jong Un’s baby daughter during a visit to Pyongyang in 2013. South Korean intelligence officials believe she was born sometime that year.

In 2023, South Korean intelligence agencies told lawmakers that Kim Jong Un and his wife also likely have an eldest son and a second son, whose gender is unknown.

Since its founding in 1948, North Korea has been ruled by the men of the Kim family, starting with founding father Kim Il Sung and continuing with his son Kim Jong Il.

Kim Jong-un was just 26 years old when he was formally named his successor at the party’s 2010 convention, two years after he suffered a debilitating stroke. After his father’s death in December 2011, he suddenly assumed the throne with relatively little preparation.

Some analysts have suggested that Kim Jong Un’s decision to debut his daughter early may reflect his own experience of being rushed to power.

Party convention could provide hints for succession planning

Kim Jue’s visit to Geumsusan last month was also her father’s first visit in three years. Chung Sung-chan, a senior analyst at South Korea’s Sejong Research Institute, said given the palace’s status as an important symbol of the Kim family’s rule, the visit should be seen as a symbolic act by Kim Jong-un to present his daughter as his successor to her grandfather and father as he prepares for a major ruling party congress.

The Workers’ Party congress in late February, which was last held in 2016 and 2021, could be the stage for Kim Jong Un to formalize his succession plan, possibly awarding his daughter the party’s No. 2 job as first secretary, but such a decision may not be made public immediately, Chung said.

Some analysts have questioned whether he would take on such a high-profile post or any formal party role, since party rules require party members to be over 18.

Ko Yu-hwan, former director of South Korea’s Institute for National Unification, said the signs would be more subtle if Kim Jong-un actually used the party congress to solidify his daughter as his successor.

For example, he said, the party may brag about how North Korea has survived longer than most other communist countries, crediting it to how the country has established a “successful revolutionary inheritance.”

“Given such comments, it would be reasonable to assume that Chue has established himself as the heir apparent,” Ko said.