
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has chosen his daughter as his heir, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday.
Kim Ju Ae, who is believed to be 13 years old, has been photographed in recent months alongside her father at high-profile events such as a visit to Beijing in September, her first trip abroad.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that in its assessment it took into account a "range of circumstances", including her increasingly prominent public presence at official events.
The NIS also said it would keep her under surveillance if she attended the Northern Party congress later this month, the country's biggest political event held once every five years.
Ju Ae is the only known child of Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju. The NIS believes that Kim Jong Un has an older son, but this son has never been identified or appeared in North Korean media.