Seoul: Kim Jong Un Entrenches Daughter as Likely Heir

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has entrenched his daughter as heir apparent ahead of a landmark party conference, a South Korean lawmaker said on Thursday after a briefing from Seoul’s main intelligence agency.

The Kim family has ruled North Korea with an iron grip for decades, and a cult of personality surrounding their “Paektu bloodline” dominates daily life in the isolated country. 

Kim’s teenage daughter Ju Ae has long been seen as the next in line, a perception stoked by a string of recent high-profile outings. 

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said Ju Ae has now been clearly “designated as a successor”, lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said after a parliamentary briefing with the spy agency. (AFP)