A mystery woman seen attending events with North Korea's Kim Jong-un has led to speculation¹ in South Korean media about her identity.

朝鲜一名神秘的女性与金正恩共同出席活动，引发了媒体对其身份的猜测。

Could the woman be Kim Jong-uns wife...
The woman was shown on state TV on Sunday with the new leader at an official ceremony in honour of his late grandfather, Kim Il-sung.

And on Saturday, the same woman was seen sitting next to Kim Jong-un at a concert.

The appearances have made front-page news in South Korea.

Kim Jong-un took power in the Communist state after the death of his father at the end of last year.

North Korean society is so closed to the outside world that no-one knows if Kim Jong-un is married, or even his exact age, says BBC Asia analyst² Viv Marsh³.

So the appearance by his side of an elegant⁴, black-clad, short-haired woman, probably in her 20s, has left many North and South Koreans playing guessing games, she says.

Some South Korean news outlets⁵ suggested she might be his younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, of whom very little is known, or even his wife.

On Sunday, the woman, dressed in a black jacket and skirt, was seen bowing with Kim Jong-un, as part of a ceremony to mark the 18th anniversary of the death of Kim Il-sung, the country's founder⁶.

She is believed to be the same woman shown by North Korea's KRT broadcaster on Saturday walking into a concert behind Mr Kim and sitting next to him.

A photo of the pair was also published in the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Monday, according to the Associated Press.