Human Interest

South Korea says Kim Jong-un’s firstborn is a boy

Seoul, Mar 7 (EFE).- South Korea’s spy agency believes that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s first child is a boy amid a marked interest in the dictator’s family after he made a few public appearances with his daughter Ju-ae.

Yonhap news agency said the revelation about the firstborn was made by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) during a parliamentary briefing on the North’s expected large-scale military exercises in March and April.

Rep. Yoo Sang-beom of the ruling People Power Party said they did not have detailed evidence that Kim’s first child is a son.

“But we are convinced that the first child is certainly a son based on intelligence that has been shared with an external intelligence agency,” Rep. Yoo quoted the NIS as saying.

Yoo said the spy agency could not confirm the rumors that Kim’s son had physical and mental disabilities.

Speculations about Kim’s family have intensified since he appeared with his daughter in November last year, marking the first appearance and official confirmation about his kids.

Very little is known about the girl, whose name is believed to be Ju-ae and whose public appearances since November have sparked speculation that Kim is naming her as his successor.

South Korean intelligence believes she is Kim’s 10-year-old middle daughter.

North Korean state media have not released details about the girl, referring to her as Kim’s “beloved daughter.”

North Korean media rarely publishes information about close relatives of the Kim dynasty, which has ruled the country with an iron hand since the 1940s. The girl had been no exception so far.

South Korea believes that Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, had three children in 2010, 2013, and 2017. Only Ju-ae has been seen in public.

Yoo said Ju-ae had not enrolled in any official academic center and was into homeschooling.

Her hobbies as horseback riding, swimming, and skiing.

Kim is satisfied with her horseback riding skills, the spy agency said.

The spy agency briefed the parliamentary intelligence panel about the North Korean plan to conduct large-scale military exercises in March and April.

The drill could include firing a newly developed solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

South Korea does not rule out the North again testing an ICBM or deploying reconnaissance satellites in April, in line with Kim’s orders.

North Korea on Tuesday threatened to take “overwhelming” action against the military drill by the United States and the South.

The allies conducted war games Monday over the Yellow Sea, involving an American B-52 strategic bomber and South Korean F-15 and F16 fighters, South Korea’s defense ministry said.

Kim’s sister Kim Yo-jong warned that any move by South Korea and the US to intercept and shoot down its test missiles would be considered “a declaration of war” against the North. EFE

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