N Korean Kim’s wife reappears in public

SEOUL - Reuters

Kim Jong-un (C) and his wife (C-L) clap with the audience at the performance of the Moranbong Band, marking the 60th anniversary of Kim Il-sung. AFP photo

North Korean state media reported public appearances by the wife of leader Kim Jong-un for the first time in two months yesterday amid mounting speculation that she had been chastised for inappropriate conduct or that she may be pregnant.

Ri Sol-ju attended football match and a musical concert with Kim Jong-un on Oct. 29. Their appearance at the concert “drew a thunderous cheer from the audience,” the official KCNA news agency said yesterday. Oct. 29’s events in Pyongyang and his visit to a military college were also the first public appearance by the young new leader Kim Jong-un himself in about two weeks.

Ri’s once frequent appearances with her husband in public reported in state media had marked the starkest break by the North’s leadership from the dour image of Kim’s father, Kim Jong-il, who was rarely seen in public with any of his wives.

South Korea’s intelligence agency had joined the fray of speculation over the sudden disappearance of Ri from state media since September saying state elders may have raised an issue over her casual and cheerful demeanor portrayed in media.