The aunt of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has been seen in public for the first time since the execution of her husband in 2013.

Axar.az reports citing BBC.

Kim Kyong-hui is the daughter of North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, and sister to former leader Kim Jong-il.

She had not been seen since her husband, Chang Song-thaek, was executed by her nephew for "acts of treachery".

But on Sunday, state media released a photo of her enjoying new year celebrations.

The photo, released by North Korea's state news agency KCNA, showed Kim Kyong-hui seated next to Kim Jong-un and his wife in a crowded theatre in Pyongyang. She was also included in the list of top-ranking officials in attendance.

It puts an end to speculation about her fate in the years since Kim Jong-un ordered her husband's execution, who was largely considered to be the second-most powerful man in North Korea at the time.

Oliver Hotham, editor at NK News, which covers events in the reclusive nation, said her appearance was a surprise.

"Many North Korea watchers had assumed that Kim Kyong-hui had gone into exile or even killed in the wake of her husband's death," he told Reuters.