North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's wife Ri Sol Joo has appeared in public for the first time in nearly five months.
According to the official KCNA news agency, Ri and her husband attended a Lunar New Year performance at the Mansudae Art Theater in Pyongyang on Tuesday.
"Among the games of welcome music, the audience chanted 'Hooray!' Let's shout" KCNA reported the theater presence of the Supreme Leader and his wife.
According to a video from the concert released on state TV, Kim Kyong Hui, whose husband Jang Song Thak was famously killed by Kim in 2013, was also present at the event in her first public appearance in two years.
According to a screengrab from South Korean news agency Yonhap, the first couple applauds.
Kim had a bandage on the tip of his finger, indicating that he was injured. In the past, he has been shown with bandages on his arms and fingers as well as the back of his head.
According to NK News, the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun did not publish any pictures accompanying its report on attendance, saying instead that the concert consisted mostly of songs about the greatness of the ruling party.
According to Rodong, after the performance, the first couple "went to the stage, held the performers' hands one by one, congratulated them on the performance, and took a memorable picture of their love."
Ri was last seen in public on September 9 last year, when she and her husband visited the Kumsusan Palace in the Sun, where the bodies of Kim's late grandfather and father were kept secretly to commemorate.
The First Lady of North Korea holds no political position and is unlikely to attend events with her husband, but she is more visible than the wives of Kim's predecessors.
NEW: North Korean state TV released video Wednesday of Kim Jong Un and wife Ri Sol Ju attending a Lunar New Year's concert the previous day.
— NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) February 2, 2022
Kim Kyong Hui, aunt of Kim Jong Un and wife of executed top official Jang Song Thaek, also appearedhttps://t.co/WlVwj0fhtY pic.twitter.com/BtKfHl6OHb
According to NK News, in a new documentary titled "2021, A Great Victorious Year", state television released new footage of Kim, along with the leader's sister Kim Yo Jong and other officials riding near the "holy" Mount Paektu. The new documentary, "2021, A Great Victorious Year," highlights his role in Kingdom propaganda.
Rea had been out of the public eye for over a year, leading to speculation about her health and possibly pregnancy.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service believes the couple have three children and that exposure to COVID-19 prevented them from going out, but according to Reuters, during their absence she still " Playing well with her kids".
Families in Pyongyang visited the Central Zoo and statues of former leaders to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which was also marked by concerts in cities across the country. In addition, the Mirim Riding Club in the capital hosted a special horse race.
NK News reported that although North Korea has not confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19, it has imposed a strict border lockdown and state media reports that the country is facing significant difficulties.
After more than a year without rail traffic, satellite images in January showed a train line imported from China had reopened.
According to state media, Kim reportedly opened a warship factory "manufacturing a major weapons system" last month.