Keeping Up With The Kims: Who Will Be North Korea's Next Supreme Leader?

In Game of Thrones, the real tension was never just the battles. It was the silence before them. The question hanging in the air is about who rules next. Something like that may be taking shape in North Korea (minus the dragons). 

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service believes Kim Jong-un has begun preparing his 13-year-old daughter, Kim Ju-ae, as a possible successor. If that turns out to be true, it would mark the fourth straight generation of rule by the Kim family. In modern politics, that is almost unheard of.

But succession is not only about presentation. It is about who commands loyalty when the spotlight shifts. So let’s decode this before the next episode drops.

The Intelligence Brief That Sparked the Buzz

The speculation did not come from Reddit gossip threads. It came from Seoul’s spy agency. South Korea’s NIS claimed Kim Jong-un has “entered the stage” of nominating his daughter as successor. Lawmakers were told this is not a teenager casually tagging along with her father. Her appearance appears consistent with succession training.

The timing also matters in this case. North Korea is preparing for a major political assembly later this month, the first in five years. These gatherings often signal policy shifts. Observers will

In Game of Thrones, the real tension was never just the battles. It was the silence before them. The question hanging in the air is about who rules next. Something like that may be taking shape in North Korea (minus the dragons). 

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service believes Kim Jong-un has begun preparing his 13-year-old daughter, Kim Ju-ae, as a possible successor. If that turns out to be true, it would mark the fourth straight generation of rule by the Kim family. In modern politics, that is almost unheard of.

But succession is not only about presentation. It is about who commands loyalty when the spotlight shifts. So let’s decode this before the next episode drops.

The Intelligence Brief That Sparked the Buzz

The speculation did not come from Reddit gossip threads. It came from Seoul’s spy agency. South Korea’s NIS claimed Kim Jong-un has “entered the stage” of nominating his daughter as successor. Lawmakers were told this is not a teenager casually tagging along with her father. Her appearance appears consistent with succession training.

The timing also matters in this case. North Korea is preparing for a major political assembly later this month, the first in five years. These gatherings often signal policy shifts. Observers will be watching closely to see whether Kim Ju-ae attends and whether she receives any formal title. Because in North Korea, symbolism is not just PR. It is policy.

From Mystery Child to Missile Backdrop

The world first heard Ju-ae’s name in 2013. Former NBA player Dennis Rodman told The Guardian he had held “their baby Ju-ae” during a visit to Pyongyang.

Then came November 2022. She appeared publicly for the first time beside her father at an intercontinental ballistic missile launch. The images were striking. Kim is holding his daughter’s hand in front of a towering missile. A soft family moment set against hard military power.

Since then, she has attended military parades, weapons inspections, and high-profile events. South Korean intelligence officials say these appearances are not random. They believe they are carefully choreographed steps to legitimise her future authority.

Earlier this January, she visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the mausoleum of North Korea’s founding leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. In a system built on hereditary symbolism, that visit spoke volumes.

Lawmakers were also briefed that she has “expressed opinions” on policy matters. For a teenager in one of the world’s most authoritative regimes, that detail raised eyebrows.

Breaking a Male-Only Tradition

North Korea’s leadership has always followed a strict patriarchal line. Power passed from Kim Il-sung to Kim Jong-il, and then to Kim Jong-un. A closed loop of carefully groomed male heads.

If Kim Ju-ae is eventually confirmed as successor, it would not just extend the Kim bloodline, it would flip one of the most rigid boy’s clubs in global politics. 

It would quietly smash the ultimate patriarchal succession plan. A woman dictator was not exactly on anyone’s 2026 bingo card, but history has a strange sense of irony. In one of the world’s most hyper-masculine regimes, the next strongman could very well be a strongwoman.

Is the Aunt the Real Power Player?

But every K-drama is incomplete without a rival. Meet Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong Un's sister, widely described as the second most powerful person in North Korea.

Since 2020, she has acted as the regime’s de facto Number Two. She has issued nuclear threats toward South Korea. She has mocked foreign leaders, once calling former US President Joe Biden “an old man with no future.” She has publicly insulted South Korea’s defence minister and warned of “total destruction.”

Former South Korean diplomat Ra Jong-yil has warned openly that a power struggle is possible. His logic is simple. If Kim Yo-jong believes she has a real shot at the top job, she is unlikely to sit quietly in the background.

And analysts are not dismissing that idea. A report by 38 North, part of the Stimson Center in Washington, notes that if Kim Jong-un were to suddenly die or fall ill, politically seasoned insiders like Kim Yo-jong would be far more likely to take control in the immediate term.

So while Kim Ju-ae may be the heir in training, the aunt already has the experience and the network of someone who knows exactly how this system works.

The Kim Family’s History of Deadly Transitions

This isn’t exactly a family that does retirement parties and farewell speeches. When Kim Jong-un took charge in 2011, he had his uncle Jang Song-thaek arrested for treason and executed by firing squad in 2013.

Fast forward to 2017, His half brother Kim Jong-nam was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport with VX nerve agent. A method so dramatic it felt like a spy thriller that forgot to tone itself down. 

The message was crystal clear. In this dynasty, rivals don’t fade into the background; they vanish. Because in this family, being next in line doesn’t just come with a title. It comes with a free contract-killing target on your head.

The K-Drama That Could Reshape Geopolitics

Right now, Kim Jong-un is just 42. He could be around for decades, firmly holding the throne and keeping Ju-ae safely in the wings. If something unexpected happens, the equation would change. In that scenario, a seasoned operator like Kim Yo-jong, with deep military and party support, could move quickly.

Some experts say Ju-ae’s growing public appearances might be more stagecraft than succession plan. Because the secrecy around the Kim household only adds to the suspense. Western analysts believe there are three children in total, including two sons, but none of them has been formally introduced. Which means the casting list is still technically open.

If Ju-ae becomes the next supreme leader in the Kim dynasty, it would redefine the regime’s image while keeping its bloodline intact. If Kim Yo-jong positions herself as successor instead, it would signal continuity through experience. Either way, the throne might finally get its first female dictator. 

But the question now hangs in the air. Who rules next?

Views expressed are the author's own.