Overview
- South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers on Feb. 12 that Kim Ju Ae has entered the stage of being designated as successor.
- The agency cited her reported input on some policies and her central placement in Jan. 1 state photos at the Kumsusan Palace as key signals.
- NIS reported roughly 11,000 North Korean combat troops and engineers are deployed alongside Russia after about 6,000 casualties, with battlefield learning and Russian input improving UAV performance and missile accuracy.
- Planned cooperation with Russia on steel and nuclear power projects has stalled, and trade with China remains below pre‑COVID levels beyond fertilizer aid, the NIS assessed.
- Attention now turns to a late‑February Workers’ Party congress that the agency expects could lay out a new roadmap and clarify leadership signals.