SEOUL, South Korea — Kim Ju Ae, the teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has moved from occasional companion at weapons tests to the center of Pyongyang's political stage, with South Korea's spy agency now describing her as her father's likely successor.

Her growing prominence has intensified debate over whether North Korea, a nation steeped in patriarchal and military-first traditions, is preparing for the first female leader in its history, and how long such a transition might take.

Spy agency's assessment hardens

South Korea's National Intelligence Service has steadily strengthened its view of Ju Ae's status over the past year.

In 2024, the agency reported that she was receiving training to succeed her father. In a Feb. 12 briefing to lawmakers this year, the agency went further, saying Kim appeared to be designating his daughter as his successor.

Rep. Lee Seong-kweun told reporters after that closed-door session that the agency had previously described Ju Ae as studying to be successor, but now said she was "in the stage of being internally appointed successor."

In April, NIS Director Lee Jong-seok delivered the agency's most definitive assessment yet. Asked about her status during a briefing to the parliamentary intelligence committee, he was quoted by lawmakers as saying, "(She) can be seen as the successor."

The director also told lawmakers that Kim's influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, widely regarded as North Korea's second most powerful political figure, has no independent power, according to lawmakers who attended the briefing.

On Sept. 1, the NIS told lawmakers that Ju Ae had........

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