North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is believed to have a younger child whose gender remains unknown, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on Thursday. The assessment provides new information about Kim's family structure, which is closely guarded by the North Korean government. The NIS also reaffirmed that Kim's daughter, Kim Ju Ae, is currently regarded as the likely successor to her father.

The NIS said it currently assesses that Kim Ju Ae is being groomed to succeed Kim Jong Un and that she has a younger sibling whose gender has not been confirmed. The agency did not provide further details about the younger child or explain how it reached its assessment. Information about Kim's family is rarely made public, making South Korean intelligence assessments an important source for outside observers.

Kim Ju Ae, who is believed to be around 13, has appeared alongside her father at a growing number of high-profile state and military events since late 2022. Her increasingly prominent public role has included appearances at missile-related events, military ceremonies and other major occasions. North Korean state media has also used increasingly respectful descriptions of her, contributing to assessments that she is being prepared for a future leadership role.

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The NIS has previously indicated that Kim Ju Ae has undergone training linked to a potential succession role. Her status is significant because North Korea has historically been led by male members of the Kim family since the country's establishment in 1948. Analysts have therefore debated whether the country's political and military establishment would ultimately accept a woman as supreme leader, although the latest intelligence assessment continues to identify Ju Ae as the likely successor.

Questions have also surrounded whether Kim Jong Un has another child, including earlier reports about a possible son or older sibling of Ju Ae. The NIS said it is still attempting to verify some of those reports, while maintaining that the existence of another child would not currently alter its assessment of Ju Ae's succession position. The agency's latest statement therefore adds to, rather than resolves, the uncertainty surrounding Kim's family and North Korea's long-term leadership plans.

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