South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) is investigating whether North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has a secret son. The agency disclosed the information in a statement last Thursday.
Kim came to power in North Korea in 2011 after his father’s death. According to the NIS’s latest assessment, his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, believed to be around 13 years old, is currently seen as the most likely successor. However, whether Kim Ju-ae has an elder brother remains unconfirmed. The NIS said it is trying to verify the matter. Even if Kim does have a son, that son may not necessarily be positioned to be his successor. Kim also has another, younger child, though whether that child is a son or daughter is not confirmed.
In 2023, a South Korean lawmaker said the NIS had told a parliamentary committee, in a briefing, that Kim Ju-ae had an elder brother. The intelligence agency later said it was still trying to verify reports that the North Korean leader had a son.
Whether Kim has a son matters in North Korean politics, where patriarchal influence runs through the political system. Since North Korea’s founding in 1948, its leadership has been held by three male members of the Kim family. Because of this, some experts remain sceptical about whether Kim’s successor will in fact be his daughter, arguing that North Korea’s senior officials may not readily accept the leadership of a woman.
Even if Kim Ju-ae eventually takes power, questions remain over whether authority would stay within the Kim family in the long run. Experts note that if Kim Ju-ae marries and her child becomes the next supreme leader, power in North Korea could at some point pass outside the Kim family line.