North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s wife appeared in state media images in her first public appearance for the first time in more than a year.
Ri Sol Ju, his wife, joined Kim for a concert on one of the country’s biggest holidays celebrating the birth of former leader Kim Jong Il, Reuters reported.
The event was closed to the country’s press corps, but the official ruling Worker’s Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun released undated photos of the couple on Wednesday from the concert, which took place sometime this week.
According to the outlet, Kim later visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, which houses the embalmed bodies of his father and grandfather. He went there to lay wreaths for the anniversary of his father’s birthday, also called the Day of the Shining Star.
The annual holiday begins on Feb. 16 and lasts for two days.
Ri was typically seen with Kim during major events in the past, though she had not been seen publicly since January of last year during a Lunar New Year celebration, leading some to speculate about her health or potential pregnancy.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reportedly told lawmakers that Ri remained out of the public eye to protect herself from the coronavirus but said she was “playing well with their kids.”
The NIS said Kim and Ri have three children, though little is known about them.
North Korea has not reported an outbreak of COVID-19 infection spread across the upper peninsula. Still, the NIS has not ruled out the possibility of an outbreak in the northern country as the regime has had active exchanges with China, where the virus first emerged. Last year, however, Kim placed one city in the country on lockdown after there was a suspected virus case.
The latest photos did not indicate anyone in the concert hall was adhering to wearing masks as protection or maintaining social distance.
A recent intelligence report from South Korea found North Korean hackers attempted to steal Pfizer vaccine technology from the southern country. Another hacking attempt targeted information on the AstraZeneca vaccine in November.
