Kim Jong Un’s aunt quells rumors with appearance
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s aunt made her first public appearance in about six years, state media reported Sunday, quelling years of rumors that she was purged or executed by her nephew after helping him inherit power from his father.
According to a Korean Central News Agency dispatch, the name Kim Kyong Hui was included in a list of top North Korean officials who watched a performance with Kim Jong Un on Saturday at a Pyongyang theater.
North Korea’s main newspaper also released a photo showing Kim Kyong Hui sitting near Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, at the theater.
Kim Kyong Hui, 73, was once an influential figure in North Korea as the only sister of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the father of Kim Jong Un. She had kept a low profile during the early part of her brother’s rule, but later frequently accompanied him on inspection trips after he suffered a stroke in 2008.
While taking many posts, such as a four-star army general and a member of the powerful Politburo, she was also believed to have helped groom Kim Jong Un as the next leader. Kim Jong Un eventually took power after his father died of a heart attack in late 2011.
Kim Kyong Hui’s fate had been in doubt after Kim Jong Un had her husband and the North’s No. 2 official, Jang Song Thaek, executed for treason and corruption in December 2013. His death was reported by the North and remains the most significant in a series of executions or purges that Kim Jong Un has engineered in what outside experts believe were attempts to remove potential rivals.
Some North Korea monitoring groups in Seoul and foreign media outlets had speculated Kim Jong Un had his aunt executed or purged.