Recently, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has taken his ten-year-old daughter with him on official missions, including during missile testing, to send messages to both domestic and international audiences. Kim's daughter has become a focal point for the world, being viewed as a potential heir, according to the South Korean intelligence agency, in the first evaluation of the girl of its kind.
The latest surprise comes from a former intelligence officer who claimed that Kim has a son, but he is "pale and skinny" by North Korean standards and is kept away from the public eye. This shocking assertion was made by Choi Soo-young, a retired official from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) of neighboring South Korea. He claimed that "the boy's unattractive physical appearance seems to have prevented Kim from revealing his son publicly."
The Korea Times quoted the retired spy as saying, "Unlike his father or his well-proportioned sister, Kim's son is said to be pale and skinny. I've heard that he does not resemble his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, at all."
For North Korean leaders, resembling Kim Il Sung— the founding father of the country— is considered an essential trait. The current leader has been accused of emphasizing similarities with his grandfather in an attempt to bolster his legitimacy.
There may be more portly North Korean leaders in the future, as Kim Jong Un's "plump" daughter, Kim Ju Ae, was seen in public in late 2022. In contrast, no known images of his "pale and skinny" son have emerged yet. However, experts believe that the son can simply be envisioned by looking at a younger Kim Jong Un—who was also thin at one point. A series of images show the leader looking slim before he ballooned to his current size.
Michael Madden, the founder of the North Korean Leadership Watch, stated, "When Kim Jong Un was the heir apparent, he was really thin. Go back and look at those pictures. He was a slimmer man. His father and aunt told him he needed to gain weight to demonstrate authority. So when those North Korean elites, especially those old generals, see this man, they will feel physical intimidation from him."
