INTERNATIONAL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's wife and influential aunt made a rare appearance in state media on Wednesday , February 2, as the ruling family has maintained a low profile during the coronavirus pandemic.

Kim's wife, Ri Sol Ju, and his aunt, Kim Kyong Hui, have attended an art performance at the Mansudae Art Theatre in the capital Pyongyang on Tuesday ,February 1, celebrating the Lunar New Year holiday.

Ri was last seen publicly on September 9, 2021, when she hasjoined her husband in visiting the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, which houses the embalmed bodies of Kim's late grandfather and father, on the anniversary of the country's founding.

Kim Kyong Hui was a key figure in the young leader's first years in power, but had disappeared from media after he ordered the execution of her powerful husband, Jang Song Thaek, over treason charges in 2013. She made a surprise comeback six years later.

^{PHOTO: NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM JONG UN, HIS WIFE RI SOL JU, KIM'S AUNT KIM KYONG HUI AND OFFICIALS WATCHING LUNAR NEW YEAR'S DAY CONCERT / OFFICIALS APPLAUDING FOR KIM AND HIS WIFE / KIM JONG UN AND RI SHAKING HANDS WITH SINGERS AND TAKING GROUP PHOTOGRAPH}