North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s wife appeared in public for the first time in more than a year on Wednesday, at a concert marking one of the nation’s biggest holidays.
Ri Sol Ju and her hubby were seen in photos published by state media, sitting side by side and smiling at the Mansudae Art Theatre in the capital of Pyongyang.
The event commemorated the birthday of Kim’s late father and former leader Kim Jong Il.
While the Hermit Kingdom’s first lady has often accompanied Kim, 36, to major public events, she’s been out of the limelight since last January, when she attended an event for the Lunar New Year holiday.
Her absence from the public eye sparked speculation over her health and rumors that she may be pregnant.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers on Tuesday that Ri appeared to have held back from outside events to ward off the coronavirus.
Ri, who is believed to be in her mid-30s, has been spending her time “playing well” with the couple’s three children, the NIS said.
Nobody in the new images of the couple — released by the official ruling Worker’s Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun — were wearing masks or maintaining social distancing measures.
The newspaper also reported that Kim visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, which houses the embalmed bodies of his father and grandfather, to lay wreaths for the holiday, called the Day of the Shining Star.
With Post wires
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Originally published at https://nypost.com/2021/02/16/kim-jong-uns-wife-ri-sol-ju-appears-in-public-for-first-time-in-a-year/ on .
