(SEOUL, South Korea) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s second child, a daughter named Kim Ju Ae, who has been exposed to the public lately, has an older brother and another sibling, according to lawmakers who were briefed by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) in a closed-door meeting Tuesday.
Lawmakers Youn Kun-young and Yoo Sang-bum shared new tidbits about the Kim family with reporters after a closed-door briefing with the spy agency.
“Kim Ju Ae appears to be homeschooled in Pyongyang and her hobbies include horseback riding, swimming, and skiing. In particular, there is information that Kim Jong Un is quite satisfied with her excellent horseback riding skills,” Yoo told reporters.
But news that people with the same name as Kim Ju Ae were forced to change their names in North Korea appears to be false, according to the spy agency.
Questions have been raised whether Kim’s 9-year-old daughter may become the future leader of the isolated regime after she had been spotted at official events since last November when Kim Jong Un took her to the ICBM test launch site.
She received spotlight as she accompanied her father hand in hand during the military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the country’s army. North Korea’s state media described her as the “respected” and “beloved” daughter of Kim Jong Un in a report about the parade.
“The intention behind the second born Kim Joo Ae’s frequent appearance in public seems like an effort to imprint the legitimacy of the hereditary succession of the Kim bloodline,” Yoo said.
The NIS explained that Kim Jong Un is still too young and healthy to designate a successor so early.
Little is known about the other two siblings. Yoo told reporters that the first child is a son citing international intel, although there is no specific physical evidence. The existence of the third child has been confirmed, but the gender is still unknown according to intelligence.
Lawmaker Yun also told the press that North Korea could engage in large-scale, military drills in March or April, and test its new solid fuel Intercontinental ballistic missile soon.
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