Kim Jong Un’s sister seen with children in state media images

On Friday, South Korea’s spy service announced that it was examining rare state media footage that showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister with two children, claiming that the children might be hers.

Kim Yo Jong, a key spokeswoman for the regime, was seen at North Korea’s New Year art show with two children, a girl and a boy.

As the three of them walked together, she was spotted clutching the boy’s hand.

Although Seoul’s spy agency stated it was investigating if the youngsters in the state media film were Kim Yo Jong’s, the remote North has never formally revealed any details regarding her marital status or children.

“We are conducting a detailed analysis while keeping the possibility open,” it said in a statement.

The National Intelligence Service said they had previously detected that Kim Yo Jong might have children, and the ones she was photographed with were in the correct age range.

Although it is “unusual” to see Kim Yo Jong with children, Seoul’s unification ministry told AFP that the art performance event in Pyongyang is considered to be one where participants are expected to bring their family members.

Leader Kim was also seen with his teenage daughter, Ju Ae, in state media footage.

The photographs may have been released as part of a “propaganda effort to humanize regime officials,” according to NK News, a specialized website located in Seoul.

“It also follows a trend that started earlier in 2022 of showing elite officials in Kim Jong Un’s inner circle arriving at special events or donating disaster relief with their spouses and family members,” it said.

Kim Yo Jong has long been among her brother’s closest lieutenants, and one of the most influential women in the isolated regime.

She is one of three children born to Kim Jong Il, his father and predecessor, and his third known lover, former dancer Ko Yong Hui, according to the South Korean government. She was born in 1988.

She and her brother received their education in Switzerland, and after their father passed away in 2011, she quickly advanced through the ranks when he acquired power.

Seoul’s spy service stated in April 2015 that Kim Yo Jong was expected to give birth the following month.

The South Korean spy service later stated in 2018 that Kim’s pregnancy was known when she visited South Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February of that year.