South Korean spy agency reports Trump-Kim summit possible, Kim Ju Ae as heir

NIS assesses Kim Jong Un’s daughter being positioned as successor

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in Seoul on Tuesday that a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should be considered possible “at any time,” citing signs of dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

Rep. Youn Kun-young of the ruling Democratic Party and Rep. Yoo Yeong-ha of the opposition People Power Party shared the assessment from the National Intelligence Service with reporters following a parliamentary session. “As for a potential North Korea-U.S. summit, the analysis suggests that such a meeting should be considered possible at any time,” Youn said, quoting the NIS. The assessment, Youn added, included “no confirmed evidence of specific contacts between North Korea and the United States” but pointed to “signs of dialogue.”

Trump said last month that he expects to meet with Kim Jong Un this year. He also ordered a U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise cut short, criticizing the cost of the allies’ Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise and saying the drills sent an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to Pyongyang.

North Korea has publicly shown little interest in Trump’s overtures, dismissing the exercise reduction as “unworthy of comment” and continuing to criticize what it calls Washington’s “hostile policy.”

On Monday, a spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry accused the Trump administration of maintaining a confrontational stance toward Pyongyang, citing its commitment to denuclearization and an upcoming trilateral military exercise with South Korea and Japan.

Separately, the NIS told lawmakers that North Korea continues to take steps to establish Kim Jong Un’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his successor. “Regarding the frequent media exposure of North Korea’s Kim Ju Ae, the view is that she is effectively being positioned as the designated successor,” Youn said. “It is believed that the aim is to imprint her image as a leader upon the North Korean people.”

Ju Ae, who is believed to be around 13 years old, has increasingly appeared in public alongside her father over the past few years at events ranging from missile launches to military parades.

On the Russia question, the NIS assessed that the possibility of North Korea sending additional troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine remains low while Pyongyang considers dialogue with Trump. Youn said the agency indicated the situation could change depending on developments.