Kim Ju-ae’s existence was confirmed by basketball star Dennis Rodman who visited Kim Jong-un in 2013, making her the only child of the secretive family known for.
Others, however, have long been talked about.
“According to current rumors about Kim Jong-un’s children, he has three children, two daughters and a son,” said Madden, a fellow at The Stimson Center in Washington DC who also runs the North Korea Leadership Watch website.
That said, the information about his children is contradictory and speculative. Some information about their children comes from observation of state media photos of Madame Ri appearing to be pregnant.”
North Korea’s ruling regime is notorious for being tight-lipped about its first family – in part for fear they could be targeted.
“Potential adversaries among North Korean elites, if they are aware of the identity of the leader’s children, can pose a vulnerability,” Madden said.
“Instead of fomenting a coup or a rebellion against the political leadership, the children can be kidnapped or harmed as a means of gaining influence over the leader.”
“This was true of Kim Jong-un growing up and could very well apply to his own children.”
Kim himself was not revealed to his compatriots until 2010, the year before the death of his father and predecessor, Kim Jong-il.
Madden said: “When Kim Jong-un was a child and teenager, he was cut off from all but the top of North Korean elites who had close family or personal relationships with his father.
“North Korean elites could not associate with him or his siblings without his father’s approval.