January 05, 2015 09:45
A photograph in North Korea's state media appears to buttress speculation that leader Kim Jong-un's sister Yo-jong has recently married.
The official Rodong Sinmun daily on the first day of the new year pictured Kim Jong-un visiting a childcare center in Pyongyang and Yo-jong accompanying him. She is seen wearing a ring on her left hand.
Rumors that the 28-year-old is married have been flying around for some time, but who her husband is is not clear.
On Friday, media reports quoted a North Korean source in Beijing as saying she married the son of de facto No. 2 Choe Ryong-hae, who is in turn the son of a partisan who fought against the Japanese during the 1910-45 occupation of Korea. He has two sons and a daughter.
The second son is Choe Song, believed to be Kim Yo-jong's husband, is in his early 30s.
There is speculation that Choe senior was promoted to secretary of the Workers Party after stepping down as the head of the Army politburo thanks to his second son's marriage to Yo-jong. The marriage would have given Choe a significant boost in his status.
But a government official here said, "There is no confirmation of such rumors and the likelihood is very low."
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