South Korean intelligence reveals life of leader Kim Jong-un's daughter

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears with his daughter (center) at a military parade in Pyongyang in February.

According to the AP news agency, at a closed-door meeting of the South Korean parliamentary committee on March 7, the country's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that Kim Ju-ae had never enrolled in a formal school and was being home-schooled in the capital Pyongyang. Lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum who attended the meeting quoted the NIS as saying that her hobbies were horseback riding, skiing and swimming.

The NIS said Kim Ju-ae was very good at horse riding and leader Kim Jong-un was very pleased with his daughter's skills.

Last month, the North Korean leader and his daughter made headlines when they appeared together at a military parade in Pyongyang. At the event, a ceremonial cavalry unit rode through the square on white horses. White horses are a symbol of the Kim family's rule. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described the white horse as one of Kim Ju-ae's favorite animals.

Before the parade, leader Kim Jong-un also brought his daughter to appear in public many times, including at a missile launch site.

On February 8, Chairman Kim Jong-un visited a military barracks with his daughter. Photos released by KCNA showed Kim Ju-ae sitting between her father and mother Ri Sol-ju at a banquet table, surrounded by senior military officers for a photo shoot.

The constant public appearances have led observers to speculate that the 10-year-old girl will become the leader's successor.

Although the NIS said in a closed-door parliamentary committee meeting that leader Kim Jong-un is still too young and healthy to appoint a successor, the appearance of his daughter seems to emphasize the urgency of a hereditary power succession as well as send a message that he will continue to pursue nuclear weapons to protect the security of future generations.

Some experts believe that Kim Ju-ae is almost certainly her father's successor, as North Korean state media has portrayed her as Kim Jong-un's favorite child and has published intimate photos of the two. The NIS said Kim Ju-ae has an older brother and a younger brother whose gender is unknown.

Since its founding in 1948, North Korea has been ruled successively by members of the Kim family: leader Kim Jong-un's father Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim Il-sung.

Ju-ae was also mentioned by former NBA player Dennis Rodman when talking about Kim Jong-un's young daughter. Ju-ae had contact with Dennis when he visited Pyongyang in 2013.

According to VNA