Seoul, Aug 29 (IANS): North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's third child was born this year, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported on Tuesday.

Kim's wife Ri Sol-ju gave birth in February, although the baby's name and gender have not been disclosed, the NIS said during a meeting of a parliamentary committee.

Rumours surrounding Ri's pregnancy circulated in 2016 after the North Korean First Lady was absent from the public sphere for months, reports Efe news.

Due to the Pyongyang regime's tight secrecy, it is impossible to confirm the personal data of Kim's family. Even the exact age of the current leader and that of his wife are not known.

As a result much information comes from the intelligence services in Seoul or is just speculation.

Ri Sol-ju first appeared in public with her husband in 2012, shortly after he came to power in December 2011, although South Korea's intelligence believes they were married in 2009.

According to information from the NIS, Ri gave birth to her first child in 2010 and the second one in 2013.

The only information that has been disclosed is that Kim Jong-un's second child is a girl named Ju-ae, as the former NBA player Dennis Rodman revealed in 2013 after a visit to Pyongyang where he spent time with the leader's family.