North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju made a rare joint public appearance at an air combat training competition, state media reported Sunday. This is Ri’s first public appearance in over seven months.

Kim watched the competition and gave “field guidance” to the Korean People's Air Force and Defense (KPAF) as his wife looked on, state-run Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday. The report, however, did not mention when the event took place.

Kim reportedly praised the KPAF’s performance and told them they must be always be prepared to launch an attack against an enemy when such an order is issued. He also added that the air force must lead the Korean People’s Army through enemy ranks.

Ri was last seen in public on March 28 this year and her absence had sparked rumors of pregnancy while some said she may have had a serious falling out with the North Korean leader.

Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo’s Waseda University who studies Pyongyang leadership, said in October: “There have also been reports of instability in Pyongyang and even of several attempted attacks, including by factions in the North Korean military, against Kim last year. It is possible that Ri has not appeared in public because she is being closely guarded.”

Ri married Kim in 2012 and the two have at least one child together. She is believed to be 27 years old and some reports claimed Ri was a former member of the country’s Unhasu orchestra and had performed for Kim in 2010. Other reports said her family belonged to the country’s political elite and her mother was the head of the gynecology department at a local hospital.

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