SEOUL, South Korea: The teenage daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is close to being designated as the country's future leader, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers this week.

The assessment comes before North Korea's biggest political conference later this month, where the dictator is expected to tighten his grip further and lay out his policy goals for the next five years.

NIS officials said they are closely monitoring whether Kim's daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae and around 13 years old, appears with him before thousands of delegates at the upcoming Workers' Party Congress, said lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun, who attended the meeting.

Kim Ju Ae was first seen in public at a long-range missile test in November 2022. Since then, she has appeared more often with her father, Kim Jong Un, at events like weapons tests, military parades, and factory openings. She also traveled with him to Beijing last September for his first summit in six years with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a World War II commemoration event.

Interest in her political future grew last month when she visited Pyongyang's Kumsusan Palace of the Sun with her parents on New Year's Day. The palace is a family mausoleum that holds the preserved bodies of her grandfather and great-grandfather, the country's first two leaders. Some experts viewed this visit as the strongest sign yet that she may be preparing to succeed her 42-year-old father.

At first, South Korean officials doubted she could become North Korea's leader because the country has a very conservative culture and a history of male leadership. However, her frequent appearances in state media have caused officials to reconsider.

In an earlier review last September, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers that Kim Jong Un bringing her to China was likely an effort to build a public story that could support her becoming his successor.

According to lawmaker Lee, the NIS recently changed its wording from "successor training" to "designated successor," which was seen as an important shift. The agency cited her regular presence at major military events, her visit to the Kumsusan Palace, and signs that her father may already be asking her for her opinions on some policy issues.

Even though she appears more often in propaganda, North Korean state media have never officially published her name, only calling her Kim Jong Un's "respected" or "most beloved" child. The belief that her name is Kim Ju Ae comes from former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who said he held Kim Jong Un's baby daughter during a 2013 visit to Pyongyang. South Korean intelligence believes she was born around that time.

In 2023, South Korea's spy agency also told lawmakers that Kim Jong Un and his wife probably have an older son and a younger third child whose gender is unknown.

Since North Korea was founded in 1948, it has been ruled by members of the Kim family, beginning with its founder, Kim Il Sung, and later his son, Kim Jong Il. Kim Jong Un himself was only 26 when he was officially named heir in 2010, two years after his father suffered a serious stroke. When his father died in 2011, he suddenly took power with limited preparation.

Some experts believe Kim Jong Un may be introducing his daughter to the public early because he himself was pushed into leadership too quickly.