Kim Jong Un's wife Ri Sol-Ju spotted in public for the first time in nine months

The North Korean First Lady had not been seen in public since March

Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol-ju attend a combat flight contest in Pyongyang

(Reuters)

Kim Jong-un’s wife has been spotted in public for the first time in nine months.

Ri Sol-ju the First Lady of North Korea was spotted alongside her husband in a photograph released by south Korean news agency Yonhap News on Sunday.

The agency reports Mr Kim and his wife watched an air combat training competition by the Korean People’s Air Force and Defence, according to state news agency the Korean Central News Agency, although the date and further details of the photo were not released.

Prior to the photo, Ri had not been seen in public since she toured a commercial district and health complex in the capital city Pyongyang on 28 March.

The unknown whereabouts of Ri fuelled speculation she had fallen out of favour with her husband and members of his family including his sister Jim Yo-jang who is responsible for building up her brother’s cult of personality.

Others speculated that she was pregnant as when she last swayed from public view in 2012, it was later revealed by former American basketball star Dennis Rodman that she had given birth to a daughter.