Kim Jong Un's Wife Finally Reappears

Ri Sol Ju hadn't been seen publicly for months
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 30, 2012 9:50 AM CDT
Kim Jong Un's Wife Finally Reappears
In this undated photo distributed Thursday, July 26, 2012, Kim Jong Un, front left, accompanied by his wife Ri Sol Ju, front right, inspects the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang.   (AP Photo/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service)

After two months of uncertainty as to her whereabouts, Kim Jong Un's wife, Ri Sol Ju, appeared in public yesterday. Her disappearance from the public eye had fueled suggestions she faced disciplinary trouble from the country's elders, or that she was pregnant, Reuters reports. Yesterday, Ri attended a concert with Kim, prompting "a thunderous cheer from the audience," according to state media.

South Korean intelligence had raised the possibility she had faced complaints from elders for appearing relaxed and cheerful. "The analysis has been that there was concern over breach of discipline (by Ri) among North Korean elders, plus the speculation of pregnancy," South Korean news quoted intelligence sources as saying. Kim's appearances with Ri strike a strong contrast with his father, who avoided public appearances with his wives, Reuters notes. (More Kim Jong Un stories.)

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