By Hyonhee Shin
SEOUL (Reuters) – The wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Ri Sol Ju, appeared in state media for the first time in more than a year on Wednesday, alongside her husband at a concert on one of the biggest holidays in the country. parents.
Official Workers Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun released photos of the pair at the event to mark the birthday of Kim’s late father and former leader Kim Jong Il.
Ri often accompanied Kim to major public events, but has not been seen since January last year at an event for the Lunar New Year holiday, fueling speculation about her health and possible pregnancy.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers on Tuesday that Ri appeared to have abstained from outside activities to prevent coronavirus infections, but was “playing well with his children”.
NIS believes Ri and Kim have three children. Little is publicly known about the trio.
North Korea has not confirmed any cases of COVID-19, but the NIS said an outbreak could not be ruled out, as the country had active exchanges with China, where the virus first emerged, before closing the border early. last year.
Ri and Kim smiled as they watched the show at the Mansudae Art Theater in the capital Pyongyang. Unlike several previous events, no one in the photos published by Rodong Sinmun wore a mask or maintained measures of social distance.
The newspaper also reported that Kim visited the Kumsusan Sun Palace, which houses the embalmed bodies of his father and grandfather, to put wreaths for the birthday, called the Day of the Bright Star.
(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Jane Wardell edition)