Mystery of Kim Jong-un’s ‘secret’ children that North Korea keeps under wraps but Dennis Rodman accidentally revealed
DAYS of speculation about the health of North Korea's Kim Jong-un has sparked a renewed interest in the despot and who would replace him in the event of his death.
Among the many unknowns are exactly how many children the 36-year-old has fathered with wife Ri Sol-ju.
The couple are known to have at least one child.
Speaking with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at a summit meeting in 2018, Kim said he wanted to end the prospect of a nuclear exchange because "I'm a father and a husband".
Further information on the couple's lives and the workings of the regime comes mostly from the South Korean intelligence services.
Ri, a former singer, is reported to have disappeared from public view for extended periods a number of times in the past.
Those periods were rumoured at the time to be because she had fallen out of favour with her husband, but are now thought to have been owing to pregnancies.
The couple's first child is reported to be a son born in 2010, while their second is thought to be a daughter born three years later.
There have also been reports that they had a third child in early 2017.
Speaking to the in September 2013 following a visit to North Korea, US basketball star Dennis Rodman, who struck up a friendship with Kim after travelling there to host a series of basketball exhibitions, let out some details about the leader's personal life.
"The Marshal Kim and I had a relaxing time by the sea with his family," he said.
"I held their baby Ju-ae and spoke with Ms Ri as well.
"He's a good dad and has a beautiful family."
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None of Kim's children are yet old enough to succeed him should he die, and the most likely successor is thought to be his sister, Kim Yo-jong.
She is a key aide to her brother and a powerful figure within the regime, but it remains unclear whether a woman would be accepted in the top job.
Questions first arose about Kim's health on April 15 after he failed to attend The Day of the Sun, an important celebration to mark the birthday of Kim Il-Sung, his grandfather and the founder of the country.
He had last been spotted four days before that at a meeting with government officials.
Reports from South Korea suggested that Kim - who is overweight and has a history of diet-related illness - underwent heart surgery on April 12 and was seriously ill.
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A Japanese newspaper later said he was in a vegetative state, while one broadcast journalist in Hong Kong claimed to have been told by a "very solid source" that he had died.
South Korean government officials have consistently said their intelligence services had picked up "nothing to confirm" reports of his ill health, and yesterday said that he is "alive and well".
