North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s ex-lover who he ordered to be executed is said to be alive and well.
The Korean singer, Hyon Song-Wol, said to be leader Kim Jong-Un’s ex-girlfriend and rumored to have been executed last year has appeared on state television.
Pyongyang’s state TV showed Hyon Song-Wol, the head of a band known as Moranbong, delivering a speech at a national art workers rally in Pyongyang.
She expressed gratitude for Kim’s leadership and pledged to work harder to “stoke up the flame for art and creative work”.
Her appearance came after months of speculation about whether or not she was alive.
Japan’s Asahi Shimbun and South Korean media said in September that Hyon, members of the Unhasu Orchestra and other state musicians had been reportedly executed by firing squad for taping themselves having sex.
Kim’s ex-girlfriend was reportedly gunned down in front of her family by machine guns just three days after being arrested for breaching North Korean pornography laws last year, South Korea’s largest daily newspaper reported.
South Korea’s spy chief Nam Jae-Joon added weight to the reports when he said in October that he was “aware” of the alleged execution.
“We are aware of the execution of some 10 people associated with the Unhasu Orchestra”, two lawmakers quoted Nam as saying at a closed door parliamentary session, according to Yonhap news agency.
The Asahi said the rare execution of state performers had been ordered to prevent rumors spreading about the supposedly decadent lifestyle of North Korean first lady Ri Sol-Ju while she was an entertainer.
North Korea angrily denied the reports, calling them an “unpardonable” crime. The North’s state news agency KCNA said the reports were the work of “psychopaths” and “confrontation maniacs” in the South Korean government and media.
“This is an unpardonable, hideous provocation hurting the dignity of the supreme leadership,” a KCNA commentary said in September.
In an apparent attempt to prove the rumors untrue, North Korean radio in October aired a performance by the orchestra.
The report comes after former basketball player Dennis Rodman sensationally knocked back widespread reports about one of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s most noted acts of brutality.
The controversial star said reports that Kim executed his own uncle and ex-girlfriend were false — adding that he saw the ill-fated relative during a recent trip to the Stalinist state.
In an interview with DuJour magazine, the retired athlete known for his tattoos, piercings and flamboyant ways insisted the uncle was still alive, even though North Korean state media reported that Jang Song-Thaek was executed in December for “anti-state acts.”
“You could say anything here about North Korea and people would believe it,” Rodman said.
“The last time I went there, when they said they killed his girlfriend, they killed his uncle, they just fed him to the dogs … They were standing right behind me.”
The journalist conducting the interview then asked him to clarify, pointing out that the North Korean regime has made clear the uncle was executed — but Rodman repeated the claim. “He was standing right there,” Rodman said.
This article originally appeared on News.com.au.