N. Korean leader's eldest child is a boy: spy agency
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The Korea Central News Agency on Wednesday showed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watching the launch of a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan the previous day. / Yonhap
By Ko Dong-hwan
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s eldest child ― whose gender has been unknown to the South since his birth in 2010 ― has been confirmed to be a boy.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service revealed this at the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on Tuesday.
The spy agency added that Kim’s third child, gender unidentified, was born in February.
While the spy agency knew that Kim’s second child, born in 2013, is a daughter ― whose name former NBA star Dennis Rodman revealed as Ju-ae after his visit to the state in 2013 ― there were rumors the first born was not a son.
This belief was based on the unknown whereabouts of Kim’s singer wife Ri Sol-ju.
Ri had not appeared in public for almost nine months in last year, with some people believing she was in some kind of detention
Observers had guessed that the third child is a girl, following the first, and that Kim was disappointed at not having a son to take over the leadership one day.
The same guess was made when Kim seemingly ignored Ri when he proposed toasts with others to celebrate the launch of intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-14 on July 29.
There has been growing concern that if Kim had no son, he would be unable to fulfill his “family plan” to continue the regime’s “baekdu” lineage.
This is considered to be the true bloodline of the ruling dynasty from founder Kim Il-sung to second leader Kim Jong-il and to his eldest son Jong-nam.