Media: North Korea has begun preparing a successor to Kim Jong-un

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has already begun preparing a successor to Kim Jong-un amid rumors about his health. The North Korean dictator's 11-year-old daughter, Kim Ju-ae, is set to replace him. This was reported by the Yonhap news agency, citing two lawmakers close to South Korean intelligence.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service has submitted a report on potential successors to Kim Jong-un to a parliamentary committee. The report says Kim Ju-ae has every chance of becoming the next leader of the DPRK. The 11-year-old girl has recently been appearing in public with her father more often so that the North Korean leadership can assess how the people perceive her.

Intelligence estimates that in 2023, about 60% of Ju Ae's activities involved accompanying her father to military and economic events. Kim Jong-un's first public appearance with his daughter was in 2022, at a test of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile. North Korean sources refer to Ju Ae as "hyangdo," which translates as "illuminating the path forward in the revolutionary struggle" and is used to refer to the successors of world leaders.

South Korean intelligence suspects Kim Jong-un has serious health problems. According to them, Kim currently weighs about 140 kilograms, which makes him vulnerable to developing heart disease. Kim has had hypertension and diabetes since he was about 30 years old. Intelligence believes that Kim Jong-un is not helped by his old pills and is trying to find alternative medications for treatment. At the same time, the head of the DPRK does not give up alcohol and smoking.

The choice of successor is not yet final and everything can change, the intelligence concludes. Kim Jong-un has at least two more children - born in 2010 and 2017. Kim Ju-ae is the middle daughter. In addition, Kim Jong-un has a younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, whois called "the most dangerous woman in the world." It was she and her brother who were present at the meeting with Vladimir Putin in 2023 at the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

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