North Korea: Kim Jong Un has reportedly announced who his next successor will be

South Korean intelligence services believe North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is preparing to designate his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his successor, reinforcing the agency's earlier assessment that the teenager was the "most likely successor."

Seoul's National Intelligence Service briefed lawmakers on this information during a closed-door meeting Thursday, according to South Korea's official news agency Yonhap. The service's findings were subsequently shared with the media by South Korean politicians Park Seon-won and Lee Seong-gwon.

"Kim Ju Ae's presence continues to be highlighted at events such as the recent Armed Forces Day ceremony and her visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, and there are even signs that she is expressing opinions on certain policies," Lee told reporters, according to Yonhap.

"We believe she has now entered the phase of selecting her successor," Lee said.

The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun is considered one of the most important places in North Korea, as it houses the tombs of the great leader Kim Il-sung and his son, the dear leader Kim Jong-il – the grandfather and father of the current Kim, as well as the great-grandfather and grandfather of Ju Ae.

Yonhap News Agency reports that if Ju Ae attends the ruling Workers' Party congress later this month, or receives a title there – a key political event where analysts say important policy objectives will be unveiled – speculation about his succession will "intensify."

Very little is known about Kim's daughter, including her official age, although she is probably still a teenager.

Her first public appearance was in 2022, during the test launch of a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile, and she has been photographed alongside her father at numerous events across the country since then.

In January, she was photographed by the Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang during the test launch of a large-caliber multiple rocket launch system, alongside her father.

She also travelled to Beijing in September with her father aboard an armored train to attend a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender at the end of World War II, where she reportedly mingled with Chinese and Russian leaders.