Seoul: South Korea’s spy agency is investigating new footage from North Korean state media that shows Kim Yo Jong, influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, with two children.
The footage, which aired on Friday, shows Kim Yo Jong attending North Korea’s New Year art performance, where she is seen holding the hand of a boy while walking alongside a girl. This has raised questions about whether these children are hers, as North Korean regime has never officially shared any details about her marital status or children.
NIS to analyze footage
National Intelligence Service (NIS) in South Korea said that it is analyzing the footage and keeping the possibility open that the children might belong to Kim Yo Jong. The agency said that they had previously suspected that Kim Yo Jong may have children, and the children seen in the footage seem to be in the right age range.
While the event is understood to be one where participants often bring family members, the sight of Kim Yo Jong with children was considered unusual, according to South Korea’s unification ministry.
The event also featured Kim Jong Un with his teenage daughter, Ju Ae, in what appeared to be an attempt to show a more family-oriented side of the regime. Experts have speculated that the release of the footage could be part of a broader propaganda effort to humanize regime officials, as reported by AFP.
The release of such family-focused images has become more common since 2022 when elite officials were shown attending events with their families or participating in public service actions like donating disaster relief.
Kim Yo Jong’s background
Kim Yo Jong, who is considered one of the most influential figures in North Korea, was born in 1988 and is the younger sister of Kim Jong Un. She is the daughter of Kim Jong Il, the previous North Korean leader, and his third partner, Ko Yong Hui. Like her brother, she was educated in Switzerland and quickly rose through the ranks of the government after her father’s death in 2011.
In 2015, South Korea’s spy agency had speculated that Kim Yo Jong might be giving birth, and there were rumors in 2018 that she was pregnant when she visited South Korea for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Despite the lack of official information, the new images of her with children may indicate that Kim Yo Jong has been a mother for some time.
