North Korea: Kim Jong Us wife reappears for the first time

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The wife of North Korea's ruler Kim Jong Un has not appeared in public for more than a year, now she appeared on the birthday of her deceased father-in-law. Her absence had sparked speculation.

The wife of North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un , Ri Sol Ju, has appeared in public for the first time in more than a year. Ri had attended a concert at the side of her husband on the birthday of Kim Jong Il 's father, who died in 2011 , the state media reported on Wednesday. Pictures of the couple were also released at the concert in Pyongyang on Tuesday. Kim Jong Il's birthday is also celebrated as the day of the shining star in the isolated country that celebrates a leadership cult around its ruler.

According to reports from the South Korean news agency Yonhap, Ri, who is estimated to be 31 years old, also attended a concert with her husband in January last year. She has not appeared in public since then. Her absence had sparked speculation abroad about her whereabouts. Among other things, it was speculated that she was pregnant, caring for sick family members or was sick herself.

In a report to MPs on the activities in North Korea, South Korea's secret service expressed the assumption on Tuesday that Ri may have been living in seclusion due to the covid-19, pandemic, TV broadcaster Arirang reported. North Korea is one of the few countries that has not yet reported a single case of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, the country had closed its borders early on for fear of the virus being introduced and adopted strict protective measures.

Little is known of Kim Jong Uns and his wife's private life, even though they often appeared together in public before the pandemic. Ri is said to come from a privileged family and previously performed as a singer. The South Korean secret service suspects that they both have three children together.