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Rare broadcast sparks speculation over Kim Yo-jong's children

Published: 02 Jan. 2025, 16:03

SEO JI-EUN
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Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is seen walking with children toward outdoor tables at Pyongyang's May Day Stadium during a New Year’s celebratory performance, as aired by Korean Central Television (KCTV) on Jan. 1. [YONHAP]

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was spotted holding a young boy’s hand and walking alongside a girl during a New Year’s celebratory performance in Pyongyang on Wednesday, raising speculation that the children may be hers.

The footage, aired by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday, showed Kim Yo-jong walking with the children outside the event venue, which was attended by many top North Korean officials and their families.

South Korea’s Ministry of Unification on Thursday acknowledged the rarity of the scene.

A ministry official said during a closed-door briefing that while it is difficult to draw presumptions based on the video, they believe "no such extremely rare scene" has been reported in the past.

"Given that yesterday's images [were taken from] a family-inclusive event, we see [Kim's footage] particularly noteworthy," the ministry official added.

Kim’s personal life has been shrouded in secrecy, but reports from South's National Intelligence Service (NIS) suggest she may have given birth at least twice. In April 2015, the NIS informed the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee that Kim appeared pregnant and was expected to give birth in May of that year. At the time, the NIS speculated that her husband might be a fellow graduate of Kim Il-sung University, although his identity has not been confirmed.

Further speculation arose in February 2018, when Kim visited South Korea as part of Pyongyang's high-ranking delegation for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. She appeared to be in the late stages of pregnancy and was reported to have given birth later that year.

North Korea has never officially confirmed her marital status, pregnancies, or childbirth.

North Korean government and party officials visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on Jan. 1 to pay tribute to North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, and his son, Kim Jong-il, to mark New Year's Day, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. The mausoleum enshrines the mummified bodies of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. [YONHAP]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un did not visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on New Year’s Day for the second consecutive year, breaking with a tradition he observed for most of his rule. Analysts suggest this decision is part of his strategy to diminish the legacy of his predecessors and emphasize his own leadership.

The official Rodong Sinmun reported on Thursday that senior officials, including members of the Workers' Party's top institution along with other top military and government leaders, visited the Kumsusan Palace in Pyongyang. The site, which houses the embalmed bodies of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, has long been visited on New Year's Day and other major political anniversaries.

While the report highlighted the attendees' pledges of loyalty to Kim's revolutionary ideology and leadership, it made no mention of Kim’s presence at the event.

Since taking power, the North Korean leader made annual visits to the Kumsusan Palace on New Year’s Day, except in 2018 and the past two years. In 2023, he also skipped appearances on other significant dates, such as Kim Jong-il’s birthday on Feb. 16 and Kim Il-sung’s birthday on April 15. Instead, he limited his visits to the anniversaries of their deaths — July 8 for Kim Il-sung and Dec. 17 for Kim Jong-il.

“In the early years of his rule, ... Kim Jong-un had to rely heavily on the legacy of his father and grandfather [to consolidate power,]" the South Korean Unification Ministry official explained. "Now, after a decade, there is a move toward creating his own independent identity evident not only in his absence from Kumsusan ceremonies but in his overall governance."

BY SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]