Published 18:36 IST, January 26th 2020
Kim Jong Un's aunt makes an appearance after being presumed dead for last 6 years
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's aunt recently made her first public appearance in six years. Her reappearance was reported by state media on Sunday.
- World News
- 3 min read
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's aunt recently made her first public appearance in six years. Her reappearance was reported by state media on Sunday. Kim's aunt has not been seen in public since her husband's execution in a purge years ago in 2013 and was believed by many to be dead.
Previously influential aunt resurfaces in public
Kim Jong Un's aunt is the sister of former North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il and during the initial stages of Kim Jong Un's reign she played a crucial and influential role. Kim Kyong Hui was shown sitting next to the Supreme leader by state media during a performance celebrating the Lunar New Year in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang.
Sources had assured the world that after her husband's execution, Kim Kyong Hui had gone into exile and had been killed. Seeing her once again after almost six years has been a surprise for a lot of people.
Kim Kyong Hui and her deceased husband were once a very influential and powerful couple that formed a kind of regency in the North. According to reports, the resurgence of Kim Kyong Hui beside Kim Jong Un means that she has retained or in some parts regained her previous influence behind the scenes.
Supreme Leader of North Korea
Kim Jong-un is the Supreme Leader of North Korea and has been since 2011. He is also the chairman of the Worker's Party of Korea. He ascended to the position of Supreme Leader in 2011 with the death of his predecessor Kim Jong-il.
He rules North Korea like a dictatorship and elections in North Korea are not free or fair at all. According to sources, the government critics in North Korea are prosecuted and all forms of media is controlled by the state apparatus.
The concept of collective punishment is still active in North Korea whereby members of one's family are punished for the crimes of one person.
Recently, North Korea named has its new foreign minister a former senior army officer with little experience in dealings with the United States, in a possible indication, it will take a harder line with Washington in regards to the stalled nuclear negotiations.
Updated 18:36 IST, January 26th 2020