Kim Jong Un said to have chosen ‘beloved’ 13yo daughter Kim Ju Ae as heir to North Korean leadership

In a move that really underlines the “Democratic” in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly decided that his “beloved” and “precious” teenage daughter Kim Ju Ae will be the isolated nation’s next leader.

As per the BBC, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has been reading the tea leaves of what’s going on in the North, spotting that the Ju Ae has been seen repeatedly alongside her father at high-profile domestic and foreign events, and that her prominent public position indicates she’s being prepared to eventually take over the role.

However, if you’re eagerly anticipating the excitement that would inevitably come with giving a teenage girl access to nuclear weapons, hold your horses. Ju Ae is merely being named as a successor, rather than actually taking over.

JUST IN: 🇰🇵 Kim Jong Un to officially designate his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as North Korea's next leader. pic.twitter.com/egv92tW1BA

— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) February 12, 2026

Kim Jong Un is still in his early 40s, so presumably has many years left of gripping North Korea with an iron fist and laughing at the West. Previous rulers of North Korea Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung died at 70 and 82 respectively, so theoretically he still has a long life ahead of him.

That said, things do happen, so if the assessment of Ju Ae rising in power is true, there’s a chance she could be in power sooner than anticipated. Ju Ae would also be the first female leader of North Korea, which is one glass ceiling I didn’t expect to see broken anytime soon. You go girl! What a girlboss and so on.

However, North Korea is such a closed-off country we don’t know much about who Ju Ae is. In fact, we’re not even entirely sure of her age. It’s believed she’s 13, but she could be 12 or 14. In a bizarre twist, her existence was first confirmed by basketball star Dennis Rodman, who for some bizarre reason has managed to ingratiate himself with North Korean authorities.

Rodman told The Guardian in 2013 that he’d “held baby Ju Ae” on one of his trips to North Korea. After that it was radio silence, though she’s increasingly appeared alongside her father in what’s considered an effort to soften his image. She made her official debut in 2022, when she was shown inspecting ICBMs alongside her dad. What an adorable daddy/daughter outing!