South Korean intelligence agency: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has a son or daughter besides his wife

Photos released by North Korean official media show that on March 10, 2026, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) and his daughter Ai (left) watched a strategic cruise missile test launch on a North Korean warship at an unknown location.

South Korea's intelligence agency said on the 10th that it is believed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has a son or daughter who is younger than his beloved daughter Kim Jong-ae, who has often appeared with him in recent years.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service said in a statement: "It is currently determined that the fund owner Ae is being groomed as a successor, and it is learned that she (the fund owner Ae) also has a younger brother or sister of unknown gender."

Kim Jong-un's visit to China in September last year with Kim Jong-un, whom the North Korean media regarded as his "respected daughter", was seen as the clearest signal to date that the North Korean first princess had been appointed as the fourth generation leader of the Kim dynasty. In early January this year, Kim Jong-un occupied the C position when she accompanied her father to the Palace of the Sun to pay a visit to the mausoleum, once again showing that Kim Jong-ae has been regarded as the successor.

Since her first public appearance at the end of 2022, Kim has frequently appeared with her father in various military, political and economic activities in North Korea. In May last year, she made her debut on the diplomatic stage, attending the Victory Day activities of the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang and meeting with the Russian ambassador.