The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) monitored in Seoul said Ri Sol-ju accompanied Kim Jong-un to the opening of the Haedanghwa Health Complex. Ri last made an appearance on Feb. 28, when she watched Dennis Rodman and the Harlem Globetrotters play a basketball game in the North Korean capital.
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In addition, North Korean watchers in Seoul said that media coverage of Kim's appearance at the health center is noteworthy.
Since the communist country ratcheted up tension by launching a long range rocket in December and detonating its third nuclear device on Feb. 12, North Korean media has generally covered Kim visiting the military, conducting drills or attending large events aimed at bolstering the economy.
"The only exception was the visit to a fish farm on March 11, and that was 40 days ago," an observer said.
The KCNA said Haedanghwa located on the bank of the Taedong River is a multi-function service complex with modern welfare and service facilities. It is six stories tall and covers 10,000 square meters.
The media outlet said Kim and his wife were accompanied by Prime Minister Park Pong-ju, and senior military officials such as Choe Ryong-hae and his uncle Jang Song-thaek.
Meanwhile, Pyongyang experts said that the North Korean leader's younger sister Kim Yo-jong may have attended a banquet to mark the 81st anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army earlier in the week.
Analysis of photos carried by the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, showed a young woman sitting next to Kim's aunt Kim Kyong-hui. The aunt, who is said to exercise influence behind the scenes, sat at a table right next to her nephew.
"Judging by the facial profile and hair style, the photo seems to be that of the younger sister Kim Yo-jong," an expert here said.
The sister is known to have been born in 1987 to late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and his third wife. She is not known to hold any particular rank or office but studied with the incumbent leader in Switzerland in the late 1990s.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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