"North Korea's Kim Ju Ae Strengthens Position as Designated Successor... Height 160 cm, Weight 50 kg or More"

[Financial News] The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that Kim Ju Ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is further solidifying her position as the designated successor.

On the 30th, Yun Kun Young of the Democratic Party of Korea and Yoo Young-ha of the People Power Party, the ruling and opposition party secretaries on the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, said the NIS had made the assessment during a closed-door full committee meeting held at the National Assembly that day.
Regarding Kim Ju Ae, the NIS assessed, "Her position as the designated successor is being strengthened as the level of protocol accorded to her and the prominence of the events she attends have been elevated. For example, she stood at the very center during the January 1 visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun and made her first appearance at a site commemorating revolutionary martyrs during events marking Victory Day and National Liberation Day. After initially focusing on military-related areas, Kim Ju Ae has recently expanded her activities to people’s livelihoods, politics and diplomacy, and her 30 appearances this year mark the highest frequency ever recorded."
Earlier, NIS Director Lee Jong-suk responded to lawmakers' question in a closed-door full meeting of the Intelligence Committee last April—'Is it correct to view Kim Ju Ae as the successor?'—by saying, "It seems reasonable to regard her as the successor. This judgment is not based merely on circumstantial evidence; it is based on credible intelligence," according to Lee Seong-gwon, who was the opposition party secretary at the time.
Later, on the first of this month, the NIS assessed Kim Ju Ae, saying, "We believe this may be intended to imprint her on North Korean residents as a leader," and, "We view the reason for her frequent exposure in the media as effectively indicating that she has reached the stage of being designated successor."

The NIS also reported Kim Ju Ae's personal information to the National Assembly for the first time.
The NIS said it estimates Kim Ju Ae's height at 160 cm and her weight at 50 kg or more. It explained that she is cultivating a mature image by wearing women's suits and dress shoes. It added, "We obtained intelligence that overseas diplomatic missions had been instructed to exercise strict discretion and that frontline officials handling relations with the United States were moving very busily."
Regarding Chairman Kim's health, the NIS reported, "His weight is in the 140-kg range, placing him in the extreme-obesity, high-risk category for cardiovascular disease. However, he performs movements without difficulty, such as running up stairs while inspecting a destroyer, and is closely monitored by dedicated medical staff. We therefore judge that there are no notable signs of health problems."
Meanwhile, regarding Kim's public activities this year, the NIS assessed, "He has made 121 public appearances in total, a 30% increase from the same period last year," adding, "Amid recent efforts to seek dialogue between North Korea and the United States, he has been refraining from provocative activities such as weapons tests and observing training exercises."
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter