Who Would Succeed Kim Jong-un? North Korea's Possible Heirs

This week's unfounded rumours that Kim Jong-un was in a coma, dispelled when North Korean state media released new photos of him, revived a question that matters far beyond Pyongyang: who would run a nuclear-armed state if its leader suddenly could not? North Korea has never named an heir publicly, but South Korean intelligence has grown increasingly confident about who is being prepared.

The front-runner: his daughter Kim Ju Ae

Kim Ju Ae first appeared in public in November 2022, at her father's side during an intercontinental ballistic missile launch. She is believed to be in her early teens. Since then she has accompanied him to military events, factory visits and diplomatic occasions, and state media call her the "beloved child" and use a term of respect normally reserved for top leaders and successors.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) has steadily hardened its view:

• February 12, 2026: the NIS told lawmakers she had reached the status of "heir apparent".
• April 2026: NIS director Lee Jong-seok said she "can be seen as the successor", adding that this was based on credible intelligence rather than mere signs.
• September 2026: the agency said she is being groomed as the successor and that she has a younger sibling of unknown gender. Whether she has an older brother is still unclear, but the NIS believes that even if he exists, he is not in a position to succeed.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University, told AFP that Kim himself inherited power as the third-generation leader despite not being the eldest son, so he has likely judged Ju Ae to have the greatest potential.

The sister: Kim Yo-jong

Kim Yo-jong, the leader's younger sister, is a senior official of the ruling Workers' Party and one of the regime's most visible voices. Only on October 19 she issued a statement through state media threatening to resume propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts toward South Korea. Analysts at 38 North have argued that she would have a better chance of taking over if Kim died suddenly, because other potential successors lack a political base. Others doubt she could hold power for long in a system built around a male leader, and some suggest she could even become a rival to her niece.

Why a woman at the top would be a first

Power in North Korea has passed only from father to son: from founder Kim Il-sung to Kim Jong-il, who died in 2011, and then to Kim Jong-un. Former NIS director Park Jie-won has argued that the system's patriarchal tradition makes Kim Ju Ae's rise unlikely. There is no published legal procedure for succession, so the outcome would depend on the party leadership and the military backing a candidate.

Why the question keeps coming back

Kim is 42 and, according to the NIS, weighs about 140 kg, which puts him at higher cardiovascular risk. Each long absence from public view triggers speculation, as in April 2020 and again this October. Without a clearly announced heir, any health scare raises the prospect of instability in a country with nuclear weapons.

What happens next

Watch Kim Ju Ae's titles and seating at official events: in North Korea, protocol is often the first public signal of rank. A formal party title for her would be the clearest sign yet that the succession has been settled.

Sources: France 24 / AFP, UPI, The Diplomat, Lowy Institute, Wikipedia. Photo: Kremlin.ru (Office of the President of Russia), CC BY 4.0