Ri Sol-ju

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This is a Korean name; the family name is Ri.
Ri Sol-ju
Born 1985–89 (age 35–40)
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Alma mater Geumsung 2 Middle School
Kim Il-sung University
Spouse(s) Kim Jong-un
Children Kim Ju-ae (born 2012)
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl 리설주
Hancha 李雪主[1]
Revised Romanization Ri Seol-ju
McCune–Reischauer Ri Sŏlju

Ri Sol-ju or Lee Seol-ju (Korean: 리설주;[2] born c. 1985–89)[3][4] is the wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.[5] North Korean state media has officially identified her as "his wife, Comrade Ri Sol-ju".[6]

Biography

Kim Jong-un and his family have been characterized as "secretive".[7] Very little information about Ri Sol-ju has appeared in official North Korean sources, but more speculative information has been reported in foreign media.[8][9]

Known

In 2012, Ri made several public appearances standing next to the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, causing speculation about who she might be. South Korean intelligence officials tentatively identified her as Hyon Song-wol, a former singer for the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, a musical group popular in North Korea.[10][11] However, on 25 July 2012, North Korean state media announced that she was actually Kim's wife, saying she was "his wife, Comrade Ri Sol-ju".[12][13]

In July 2012, at an elite gala concert in North Korea, Ri was stylishly "dressed in a trim black suit in the Chanel tradition", considered unusual for North Korean women.[5][14] Along with other recent changes, such as the firing of a hard-line top general, Kim Jong-un's marriage is seen by analysts as "a continuation of what is either a policy change, or a propaganda offensive, or both".[5]

Kenji Fujimoto, the former personal sushi chef of Kim Jong-il, said he met Ri on a recent trip to North Korea. He described her as "just so charming... I cannot describe her voice, it's so soft..."[15][16] As a parting gift, Ri gave Fujimoto a Christian Dior handbag,[16] which Ri was earlier reported to have.[17][18]

In 2015, after a long public absence, Ri appeared with her husband, Kim Jong-un, at a sporting event.[19]

Reported

Very little is known for certain about Ri; some analysts have even said her name "almost certainly is a pseudonym".[6] Various security analysts, politicians, media and others have made public claims about her that have not been officially confirmed in North Korean media.[20][21]

Ri's reported year of birth has ranged between 1985 and 1989 among various sources.[3][4][6] Ri's family is reportedly from the political elite; her mother is the head of a gynecology ward and her father is a professor.[6][22] She is said to have graduated from Geumsung 2 Middle School in Pyongyang and studied abroad in China majoring in vocal music.[4] JoongAng Ilbo and some commentators have identified Ri Sol-ju as a singer in the Unhasu Orchestra that has made several overseas performances.[20][22][23][24] Reportedly, North Korean officials are "trying to erase her past as a singer and entertainer by confiscating popular bootleg CDs of her performances",[25] such as her singing the song "Sobaeksu".[26] She is reportedly a graduate student at Kim Il-sung University, pursuing a PhD in science.[6]

She reportedly visited South Korea in 2005, as a member of the North Korean cheerleading team during the Asian Athletics Championships.[4][22][27] She was said to be among 90 cheerleaders who chanted "We are one!".[4] Ri reportedly told a South Korean teacher while on the trip: "We want to take classes from the South's teachers after being reunited as soon as possible."[27]

The BBC, quoting an analyst who spoke to The Korea Times of South Korea, reported that Kim's father, Kim Jong-il, had hastily arranged his son's marriage after suffering a stroke in 2008. The two were reportedly married in 2009 and Ri possibly gave birth to a child in 2010.[12]

Pregnancy and motherhood

In October 2012, there was speculation about Ri's public disappearance, and questions arose whether it was the result of a "breach of discipline" or "pregnancy",[28][29] but she later reappeared with her spouse Kim at a military college.[28][29] It was followed by news reports in December 2012 that Ri was visibly pregnant, although North Korean officials did not comment on the speculation.[30][31][32]

In March 2013, former NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman visited Kim Jong-un in North Korea and on his return told the British tabloid newspaper The Sun that Ri had given birth to a healthy daughter.[33] One South Korean government source speculated that "doctors induced labor to make sure the child was born in 2012, which marked the 100th anniversary of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung", but no exact birth date has been confirmed.[33][34][35] Rodman told The Guardian in September 2013 that the couple's baby, a girl, is named Ju-ae.[33][36]

See also

References

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  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2014/02/485_151556.html
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Brady, Tara (21 February 2013) In true North Korean fashion, women are 'encouraged' to choose from 18 officially sanctioned hairstyles Daily Mail. Retrieved 2 March 2013
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Kim Jong-un 'Has 2 Daughters' Chosun 16 May 2013
  36. ↑ "Dennis Rodman's slip gives away name of North Korean leader's baby", The Guardian.
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