February 12, 2026
Heir today, Kim tomorrow
Kim Jong Un chooses teen daughter as heir
Seoul says Kim’s teen daughter is heir — comments split: 'obvious' vs 'propaganda'
TLDR: South Korea’s spy agency says Kim Jong Un named his 13-year-old daughter Ju Ae as successor. Commenters clash between reading the photos as clear succession signals and doubting the intel as propaganda, with Dennis Rodman jokes and gender-role debates underscoring why this matters for North Korea’s future leadership.
The internet lit up after Seoul’s spy agency claimed Kim Jong Un has tapped his 13-year-old daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as heir. She’s been everywhere lately—standing shoulder-to-shoulder with dad, stepping off that armored train in Beijing, long hair and designer outfits while peers can’t—feeding princess optics rumors. Lawmakers say she’s offering policy input and being treated like North Korea’s No. 2, and watchers are waiting to see if she shows at the five-year party congress for more hints.
Commenters came swinging. One camp calls it obvious: as mothballed noted, she’s been walking in front of him at inspections—he doesn’t let anyone do that. The other camp screams grain of salt: ufo points out the source is South Korea’s intelligence, which many see as tangled in North/South propaganda. Then there’s the schooling gossip: CSMastermind wonders if the Western-educated tradition continues—“Europe for Ju Ae?”—while shevy-java speculates this hints at “no male heir per se.”
Humor? Oh yes. jihadjihad resurrected the Dennis Rodman lore—remember when he said he held baby Ju Ae? Cue memes of “Rodman, royal nanny.” For deeper context, this BBC explainer breaks down Ju Ae’s rise—but online, the real battle is over what these choreographed photos actually mean.
Key Points
- •South Korea’s National Intelligence Service assesses that Kim Jong Un has designated his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his heir.
- •The NIS cites her rising public prominence and indications of policy input as evidence of successor designation.
- •The NIS will watch whether Ju Ae attends North Korea’s party congress later this month, which sets priorities for the next five years.
- •Ju Ae has frequently appeared in state media since 2022, including inspecting an ICBM and accompanying Kim to Beijing.
- •Ju Ae is the only known child of Kim Jong Un and Ri Sol Ju; the NIS believes an older son exists but is unacknowledged in state media.