The National Intelligence Service, or NIS, says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's daughter, Ju-ae, is believed to be in the process of being internally designated as the successor to the regime.

Senior lawmakers on the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee, Reps. Park Sun-won and Lee Seong-kweun on Thursday shared the NIS's latest assessment on the status of Kim's juvenile daughter at the current stage.

During a closed-door session of the committee, the NIS indicated that the junior Kim entered the preliminary stage, pointing to recent intelligence suggesting that she started to provide her opinions on government policies.

The agency said it will closely watch whether she will attend the ninth Congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea and related events set to take place later this month, and which level of protocol will be applied to her. 

The NIS said the North is likely to convene the ninth Congress after the lunar New Year holidays for around seven days without the attendance of foreign delegations.