The secret lives of Kim Jong-un's children.
Most sources suggest that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju secretly married in 2009 and currently have three children. However, their private lives have always been kept secret.
Kim Jong-un and his wife's first child is believed to be a boy, born in 2010. Their second child is a girl, born in 2013. The gender of their third child remains a mystery. This child is believed to have been born in January 2017.
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| Kim Jong-un and his wife in 2012. Photo: AP |
Kim Jong-un's daughter is named Ju-ae. This name was revealed by Kim Jong-un's close friend, former American basketball star Dennis Rodman, after he met her in 2013.
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| Chairman Kim Jong-un watches basketball with Dennis Rodman in Pyongyang on January 9, 2014. Photo: KCNA/Reuters |
"I held baby Ju-ae and chatted with Mrs. Ri as well. Mr. Kim is a good father and has a wonderful family," Rodman once told The Guardian.
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| Kim Jong-un and his wife attend an art performance in Pyongyang in 2014. Photo: KCNA/Reuters |
In late 2016, the press began to notice that Ri had been absent for about seven months, leading some to believe she might have "separated" from her husband. However, intelligence sources later suggested that this sudden absence was more likely due to her pregnancy and childbirth in early 2017. Similar speculation had surfaced in 2012.
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There are no publicly available photos of Kim Jong-un and his wife with their children. However, the couple occasionally appear on inspection tours and visits to young children, such as a visit to a children's hospital in 2014.
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Keeping the private lives of Kim Jong-un and his wife secret is not unusual in North Korea. This tradition dates back to the time of Kim Jong-un's grandfather and father.
