Rumors abound in North Korea that Kim Jong Un has an illicit relationship with a pop star who even gave birth to their child.

The reason for Hyon Song-wol who left her career in the music group Moranbong Band and now works in the dictator’s personal secretariat.

Last week, she and Kim were caught on camera looking at her cellphone as she walked while other aides were frantically taking notes, according to the Daily Mail report.

Choe Su-yong, a former member of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in neighboring South Korea, even reported that the child the two have is named Kim Il-bong. Meanwhile, he recently revealed to the Korea Times that Kim Jong-un also has a legitimate son with his wife, Ri Sol-ju, but the boy is very “pale and thin” and so is not seen in public.

Speaking to the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, he described the contrast between the half-siblings. “The illegitimate son, Kim Il-bong, is healthy, but the first son born to his wife is emaciated to a degree described in North Korean terms as pathetic.”

According to the former spy, Kim met Hyon Song-wol when he was still at school in Switzerland.

Kim Yong Un

Choe also said that Hyon served Kim and his sister as a nanny, but a relationship was formed that continued upon their return to North Korea. Kim’s father and predecessor, Kim Jong-il, disapproved of the relationship and ordered him to end it, according to a South Korean report from 2012. But after his father’s death, “the son is believed to have rekindled the relationship with her,” the report said.

Michael Madden, founder of North Korea Leadership Watch, said there is good reason to believe the two first linked up in Switzerland.

“One thing we can say is that they had a close relationship when he was studying in Switzerland. There is a very good chance that Hyon Song-wol stayed with Kim Jong-un and his sister Kim Yo-jong when they lived in Switzerland, or went to visit them. We can say that they have a very close relationship.”

Madden stated that rumors of them having a child together were rekindled when Hyon appeared on stage in 2012 pregnant. “If Hyon Song-wol has a child and is a mistress, that would bring scandal to Kim Jong-un right?” Madden estimates that Hyon is about seven years older than Kim and added that “she’s an elite pop star in North Korea. I’ve likened her to Lana Del Rey.”

“Today she is the deputy director of the state propaganda department, and her real job is to work alongside Kim Jong Un. It also seems to play a very large role in North Korea’s televised events.”

As for Kim’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, very little is known about her, including her exact age, who her parents are, and what her life was like before she married Kim. Even her name remains a mystery as observers believe it is actually a pseudonym designed to keep her pre-marital life a secret.