South Korea’s spy agency has told lawmakers that the recently unveiled daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is being home-schooled and spends her leisure time horseback riding, skiing and swimming.
Kim has brought the daughter to a series of public events since November, including a missile launch site, sparking intense outside debate over whether the girl, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and about 10 years old, is being primed as his successor.
Yoo Sang-bum is one of the lawmakers who attended Tuesday’s briefing by the intelligence service.
He quoted the agency as saying the daughter has never been enrolled at an official education facility and is taking homeschooling in Pyongyang.
Yoo quoted the agency as saying her hobbies are horseback riding, skiing and swimming.
The South Korean government has assessed that Kim, 39, hasn’t anointed her as his heir.
But it says he likely aims to use his daughter's appearances as a way to show his people that one of his children would one day inherit his power in what would be the country’s third hereditary power transfer.
In a closed-door parliamentary committee meeting Tuesday, the National Intelligence Service maintained that assessment, saying Kim Jong Un is still too young and healthy to appoint his successor, according to Yoo.
The NIS also said that Kim Ju Ae has an elder brother and a younger sibling whose gender is still unknown.
It said reports that Kim’s first child, a son, has mental or physical problems haven’t been verified, according to the lawmaker.