SEOUL – South Korean lawmakers, citing intelligence officials, said on Tuesday that North Korea could hold large-scale military drills and test its new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in March or April.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s first child is believed to be a son, and the leader also has a third child whose gender is unknown, the lawmakers said after being briefed by the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The son has not made a public appearance, the NIS said.

Mr Kim’s daughter, who is identified as Kim Ju Ae, has been seen in public with the leader on several occasions in recent months, prompting speculation that she is being groomed to be the next leader.

But the South Korean agency believes the most likely explanation behind the series of the daughter’s recent public appearances is that Mr Kim wants to prove the legitimacy of the regime’s fourth-generation succession, the lawmakers said.

They said the NIS attributed North Korea’s food situation to the country’s grain policy, distribution problems and the Covid-19 situation. But the intelligence agency added it is not severe enough to be considered a threat to the regime, citing a report that the country is facing an annual rice shortage of 800,000 tonnes. REUTERS