'Like gods reigning over humans': Many defectors see daughter of North Korea's Kim as heir apparent

Little is known about her except that she's reportedly about 13 and named Kim Ju Ae, but Korea's spy agency says she's likely her father's heir.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/6000x4000!/quality/85/format/webp/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff7%2F7c%2F973e83804619958b8ea384c9dd61%2Fap26313468472962.jpg' alt='FILE - In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un, center, and his daughter, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae, visit a military training base in North Korea, Thursday, March 19, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified.'/><p>Little is known about her except that she's reportedly about 13 and named Kim Ju Ae, but Korea's spy agency says she's likely her father's heir.</p><p>(Image credit: 朝鮮通信社)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=g-s1-152795' />