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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches a sports event with his daughter and other top officials, Feb. 17, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. Yonhap |
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a football match with his daughter in celebration of his late father Kim Jong-il's birthday, state media reported Saturday.
Kim and his daughter Ju-ae, watched the match between officials of the Cabinet and the Ministry of National Defense, Friday, in commemoration of the two-day national holiday that began Thursday this year, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
It marked the sixth public appearance by Kim's daughter and her first at a non-military event.
The KCNA report did not mention her by name but called her Kim's "beloved daughter."
In photos released by state media, Kim and his daughter watch the game in a viewing stand with other top officials, including Premier Kim Tok-hun and Jo Yong-won, secretary for organizational affairs of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party.
Kim was also seen smoking a cigarette next to his daughter, believed to be around 10 years old.
The leader's sister Kim Yo-jong also attended the match, although she is pictured sitting in the back row behind the leader in a corner, according to the pictures.
Observers said the event appears to be aimed at displaying the legitimacy of the "Paektu bloodline" of the Kim dynasty.
"The Paektu bloodline members watching a football match on the Day of the Shining Star seems to be intended to show off their legitimacy and closeness," Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies, said, referring to the holiday.
The game ended in a 3-1 victory for the defense ministry. The two sides also held a tug-of-war match, in which the defense ministry team won 2-0, according to the KCNA. (Yonhap)
