(UTV|Pyongyang) – The aunt of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has been seen in public for the first time since the execution of her husband in 2013.
Kim Kyong-hui is the daughter of North Korea’s founder, Kim Il-sung, and sister to former leader Kim Jong-il.
She had not been seen since her husband, Chang Song-thaek, was executed by her nephew for “acts of treachery”.
But on Sunday, state media released a photo of her enjoying new year celebrations.
The photo, released by North Korea’s state news agency KCNA, showed Kim Kyong-hui seated next to Kim Jong-un and his wife in a crowded theatre in Pyongyang. She was also included in the list of top-ranking officials in attendance.
Oliver Hotham, editor at NK News, which covers events in the reclusive nation, said the reappearance was a surprise.
“Many North Korea watchers had assumed that Kim Kyong-hui had gone into exile or even been killed in the wake of her husband’s death,” he told Reuters.
Courtesy – BBC