Who is Kim Jong Un’s daughter, and could she be North Korea's next leader?

North Korea is shrouded in secrecy, and information about the so-called "hermit kingdom" is hard to come by − especially when it comes to the country's totalitarian leadership.

But new reports from South Korea's spy agency are amping up interest and speculation about the ruling family, and who might next take the reins from the country's longtime leader.

Multiple media reports say South Korea's spy agency believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is preparing his teenage daughter to succeed him. The leader's daughter, believed to be around 13 and named Kim Ju Ae, has been named as a possible successor, building on the agency's previous assessments. Recent photos showing Kim Ju Ae riding a tank are cited in the intelligence report, casting the public display as an attempt to dispel doubts about her rank in the family.

Here is what we know about North Korea's Kim Ju Ae.

Who is Kim Ju Ae, Kim Jong Un's teenage daughter?

Limited information is available about the inner workings of the Kim family, though the current leader has been slightly more public than his father and grandfather were.

It's unclear how many children Kim Jong Un has. The publication of his daughter's name came from an unlikely, and possibly accidental source, former NBA player Dennis Rodman. The basketball star, who struck up a bizarre friendship with the leader after visiting the country in 2013, shared her name in an interview with The Guardian, saying he "held their baby Ju-ae and spoke with Ms. Ri [Sol-Ju, Kim's wife] as well."

North Korea's state‑run media KCNA last month published photos of Kim and his daughter driving a new tank, after earlier images showed her firing a rifle at a shooting range and using a handgun. She has also appeared at multiple public events in the past month that aired on state media, attending parades and celebrations and inspecting weapons.

Such scenes are intended to pay "homage" to Kim Jong Un's public military appearances during the early 2010s when he was being prepared to succeed his father, said ruling Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sun-won, according to Reuters. Yet some North Korea experts are also urging caution in interpreting the images as definitive signals of a succession plan.

Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told Reuters that Kim Ju Ae's tank appearance alone was insufficient to conclude she had been confirmed as heir to rule the country, noting she appeared alongside her father rather than independently, unlike Kim Jong Un's solo military appearances during his grooming phase.

Kim Jong Un is the country's third dictator, and rose to power when his father, Kim Jong-il, died in December 2011. In 2019, President Donald Trump met with Kim Jong Un and became the first U.S. president to step onto North Korean territory. During his first term, Trump met with the leader three times.

Contributing: Reuters; Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at[email protected] and on X @KathrynPlmr. Sign up for her daily politics newsletterhere.