A British tabloid reported that there is a firstborn son besides Ju Ae and there are two more children that were born out of wedlock.
A British tabloid reported that Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, has three other children besides Ju Ae. During a regular briefing on the 26th, Koo Byung Sam, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, stated, “There is nothing we can confirm at the Ministry of Unification level.”
The British tabloid Daily Mail reported on the 23rd (local time) that Kim Jong Un has four children, citing Choi Soo Yong, who claims to be a former operative of the National Intelligence Service. It is claimed that he has an eldest son in addition to his daughter Ju Ae with his wife Ri Sol Ju and two more children out of wedlock. The reason for not revealing the eldest son was that he was pale, skinny, and unattractive.
Currently, the only child of Kim Jong Un that the North Korean media has revealed to the outside world is his daughter, Ju Ae. She has accompanied her father on his major military and economic activities since her first appearance at the test launch site of the new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-17 in November 2022.
The government and intelligence agencies are considering that Ju Ae will likely succeed her father. The National Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Unification initially viewed the possibility of Ju Ae’s succession as low, but they are now weighing the succession theory based on the increasing level of respect for Ju Ae.
However, North Korean media does not mention whether Ju Ae will be the successor, let alone mention her name. The name Ju Ae was first known through Dennis Rodman, a former professional basketball player who visited North Korea and met with the North Korean leader.
Kim Jong Un’s children, excluding Ju Ae, are still mysterious. In North Korea, information related to the children of their leader is highly confidential. Therefore, conflicting speculations about the number and gender of Kim Jong Un’s children continue to emerge.
South Korean government and intelligence agencies are working to verify his children’s information. The National Intelligence Service reported to the National Assembly in March last year that Kim Jong Un’s first child is a son and that a third child was born, but the gender has not been confirmed. It is said that there is no concrete evidence that the first child is a son, but it was confirmed through information sharing with foreign intelligence agencies. There is no confirmed information about the physical or mental state of the eldest son.
In the January confirmation hearing for the National Intelligence Service Director Cho Tae Yong, it was stated for the first time that Ju Ae is considered a strong candidate. However, it was also mentioned that there are children of unknown gender besides Kim Ju Ae, who was born in 2013, indicating the existence of other children who could be variables in selecting a successor.
kukoo@news1.kr