South Korea's state intelligence agency has denied media reports and rumors that Kim Kyong-Hui, the once-influential, only aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, is dead.
The National Intelligence Service denied her death in a report to a parliamentary committee on Tuesday.
Kim Kyong-Hui's extended absence from public view since her husband was abruptly executed in late 2013 had prompted speculation that she may have died.
The status and whereabouts of the 68-year-old Kim have drawn media attention after her nephew executed Jang Song-Thaek, her husband and then de facto No. 2 man of North Korea's hierarchy, on charges of treason and corruption.
[저작권자(c) YTN 무단전재, 재배포 및 AI 데이터 활용 금지]