NewDelhi: Nearly eight months after she mysteriously disappeared from public eyes, suggesting a widening marital discord, Ri Sol Ju, the wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, was recently spotted with her husband.
According to Daily Mail, the duo was seen celebrating the country’s successful test launch of an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The couple appeared together at an air combat training competition, as reported by the local media.
The two were seen enjoying a performance by the ‘Moranbong Band’ – an all-female ensemble that was hand-picked by Kim.
The band reportedly performed popular numbers like ‘Song of Hwasong Rocket’ and ‘Make Others Envy Us’, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported.
The concert took place amid claims the launch was not as successful as first thought with South Korean intelligence saying the North has not secured re-entry capabilities for its ICBM programme.
While watching the concert, the controversial North Korean leader also gave advices to the contestants and, in particular, the Korean People’s Air Force and Defense (KPAF) as his wife looked on, reported the Korean Central News Agency.
When the first lady of North Korea first went missing there were rumours about whether she was pregnant or had fallen out of favour with Kim Jong-un and his powerful younger sister.
Ri Sol-Ju, a pretty former singer, first appeared on the scene in July 2012 when she was referred to in public as ‘his wife, Comrade Ri Sol-ju’.
She has since appeared in public only intermittently.
In December 2014 she attended a ceremony with her husband to commemorate the third anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-un’s father, Kim Jong-Il.
Then in April last year, wearing what appeared to be a wedding ring on her left hand, she was pictured clapping next to her smiling husband a football match at Kim Il Sung Stadium.
But until recently, she was not seen in public since March 28, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
Bureau Report
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