The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been seen with her children in rare footage

South Korea’s spy agency said on Friday it was analyzing rare footage published by state media showing the powerful sister of the North Korean leader. Kim Jong Un With two children – saying they could be hers.

The regime’s main spokeswoman, Kim Yo Jong, was seen with two children – a boy and a girl – while attending a New Year’s art show in North Korea.

She was seen holding the boy’s hand as the three walked together.

Officially isolated North Korea has never revealed any information about Kim Yo Jong’s marital status or her children, but Seoul’s spy agency said it was checking whether the children shown in state media footage were her own.

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

The National Intelligence Service said they had previously discovered that Kim Yo Jong may have children, and that the children she was photographed with were in the correct age group.

Seoul’s Unification Ministry told AFP that the art event in Pyongyang was expected to be accompanied by family members, but said it was “unusual” to see Kim Yo Jong with children.

Footage published by state media also showed Leader Kim with his teenage daughter, known as Kim Joo I.

Seoul-based specialist website NK News said the publication of the photos may be part of a “propaganda effort to humanize regime officials.”

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

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

Born in 1988, according to the South Korean government, she is one of three children born to Kim’s father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, and his third known partner, former dancer Ko Yong-hui.

She was educated in Switzerland alongside her brother, and quickly rose through the ranks once he inherited power after their father’s death in 2011.

In April 2015, Seoul’s spy agency said Kim Yo Jong was due to give birth the following month.

Later, in 2018, the South’s spy agency said it was understood Kim was pregnant during this period. Her visit to South Korea In February of that year for the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.

This summer, the National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that Kim Jong Un had regained weight and appeared to be suffering from obesity-related health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Kim, known for his heavy drinking and smoking, comes from a family with a history of heart problems. Both Kim’s father and grandfather ruled north korea Before he inherited power in 2011, he died of heart problems.

Kim’s health is the focus of great attention outside North Korea because he has not officially appointed a successor to take charge of the country’s progress. Nuclear arsenal targeting the United States And its allies if he is incapacitated.

The National Intelligence Service estimated that Kim’s pre-teen daughter strengthens her potential status as her father’s heir apparent. However, the agency said it could not rule out the possibility of her being replaced by one of her siblings because she has not been officially appointed as her father’s successor.