North Korean leader Kim’s daughter appears at sports event

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter watched a sports event attended by government officials on Friday, according to state media, the first time the girl has been seen at a non-military event. 

The daughter, often described by state media as Kim’s “beloved child” or “respected child” has been seen alongside her father Kim at military events including earlier this month.

Little is known about the girl and she has not been named in state media. South Korean intelligence officials believe she is the daughter identified as Ju Ae by former American basketball player Dennis Rodman, who spent time with Kim’s family in 2013.

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, was also seen at the event, seated in the back row in a photo released by KCNA.

“Attendees made a firm resolution … to make this year a year of great change for the republic’s development path,” North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Saturday of the event.

The event took place in celebration of a major holiday called the Day of the Shining Star in North Korea.

(This story has been refiled to add dropped last name in paragraph 1) 

(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Stephen Coates)