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| ▲ National Intelligence Service chief Lee Jong-seok (C) attends a plenary session of the intelligence committee at the National Assembly in Seoul on Feb. 12, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) spy agency-N Korea
(LEAD) N. Korea in process of designating leader's daughter Ju-ae as successor: NIS
(ATTN: UPDATES with more info throughout)
By Yi Wonju
SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korea appears to have entered the stage of designating leader Kim Jong-un's daughter Ju-ae as the successor, the spy agency was quoted as saying by lawmakers Thursday, marking a stepped-up assessment from its earlier evaluation of her as the "most likely successor."
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) shared the assessment during a closed-door briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, Reps. Park Sun-won and Lee Seong-kweun told reporters.
"As Kim Ju-ae has shown her presence at various events, including the founding anniversary of the Korean People's Army and her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and signs have been detected of her voicing her opinion on certain state policies, the NIS believes she has now entered the stage of being designated as successor," Lee said.
Lee said the latest assessment marked a step forward from the agency's previous views when it described Ju-ae as being "trained" to become a successor, to now assessing her as being at the stage of "successor designation."
The NIS also said it will keep close tabs on whether she attends the North's key party congress late this month.
In January 2024, the NIS assessed Ju-ae, believed to be born in 2013, as the North's "most likely successor" in its first evaluation of her possible succession in the reclusive regime.
Earlier in January, Ju-ae paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the Kim family's mausoleum, for the first time, together with her parents amid growing speculation about her potential succession.
If Ju-ae appears at the party congress or is awarded with an official title at the event, speculation about her being groomed as Kim's successor will likely gain traction.
Meanwhile, on talks between the United States and North Korea, the NIS noted, "There is a possibility that North Korea could respond to dialogue with the U.S. if certain conditions are met.
"North Korea has expressed dissatisfaction with the U.S. over the South Korea-U.S. fact sheet or the deployment of U.S. strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula, but it has not ruled out the possibility of talks with the U.S. and has refrained from criticizing President Donald Trump," the spy agency said.
The NIS also noted that the North has refrained from firing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) apparently to avoid provoking Trump, who is sensitive to such missile launches.
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