South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) has said it believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may have a secret son, though it stressed that even if he exists, he is not currently positioned to succeed his father. The agency reaffirmed that Kim's daughter, believed to be around 13 and named Kim Ju Ae, remains the likely heir apparent, a notable assessment given North Korea's strict patriarchal tradition and its history of exclusively male leadership since the state's founding in 1948.

The NIS statement, issued on Thursday, appeared to respond to recent media reports claiming intelligence officials had concluded Kim has no son with his wife Ri Sol Ju. The agency also said Kim has a younger child whose gender is unconfirmed, and that it is still trying to verify whether an elder son exists at all. Kim Ju Ae, whose name derives from an account by former NBA player Dennis Rodman, has appeared alongside her father at high-profile events, including military parades and missile launches, since late 2022, with state media describing her as his "most beloved" child. Experts remain divided on succession prospects, noting resistance among older officials to female leadership and Kim's own relative youth, at 42, to formally name an heir.