North Korea is accelerating efforts to appoint Kim’s daughter as his successor

South Korea’s intelligence agency said yesterday that North Korea appears to be accelerating its efforts to appoint Kim Ju-ae, the daughter of President Kim Jong-un, as his heir, based on her recent public appearance driving a new tank with her father.

Representatives Park Sun-won of the ruling Democratic Party and Lee Seung-kwon of the main opposition People Power Party said that the National Intelligence Agency presented this assessment during a closed session of the Parliamentary Intelligence Committee, according to the South Korean Yonhap News Agency.

The National Intelligence Agency was quoted as saying: “Kim Joo Ae has recently appeared in defense-related sectors, and this is believed to be aimed at dispelling doubts about the existence of a female heir and accelerating efforts to build a succession narrative.”

Last month, North Korean official media reported that Kim Jong Un supervised military training with the participation of new tanks, and published pictures of his daughter, believed to be a teenager, driving one of the tanks accompanied by her father and a number of soldiers.

The National Intelligence Agency said the report appears to be aimed at highlighting Kim Joo’s military capabilities, and is a tribute to Kim Jong Un, who was also seen driving a tank in footage broadcast by state media before he succeeded his father and former President Kim Jong Il.

Kim Joo Ae is widely considered the current president’s potential heiress, as she has increasingly appeared with her father at important local events.

North Korea has been ruled by Kim family men for three generations for about eight decades.