Ri Sol-ju

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This is a Korean name; the family name is Ri.
Ri Sol-ju
Born January 1985–1989 (age 25–29)
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Alma mater Geumsung 2 Middle School (?)
Kim Il-sung University (?)
Occupation Singer in the Unhasu Orchestra (?)
Spouse(s) Kim Jong-un
Children Kim Ju-ae (born 2012)
Ri Sol-ju
Chosŏn'gŭl 리설주
Hancha 李雪珠
Revised Romanization Ri Seol-ju
McCune–Reischauer Ri Sŏlju

Ri Sol-ju or Lee Seol Ju (Korean: 리설주, 李雪主[1] or 李雪珠,[2] born January 1985 – 1989)[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

North Korea is secretive about its first family.[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]

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.[9][10] 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".[11][12]

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 who normally dressed conservatively in billowing dresses or Mao-style work clothes.[5][13] 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 ...."[14][15] As a parting gift, Ri gave Fujimoto a Christian Dior hand bag,[15] which Ri was earlier reported to have.[16][17]

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.[18][19]

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 head of a gynecology unit at a local hospital and her father is a university professor.[6][20] 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.[18][20][21][22] Reportedly, North Korean officials are "trying to erase her past as a singer and entertainer by confiscating popular bootleg CDs of her performances",[23] such as her singing the song "Sobaeksu".[24] 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][20][25] 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."[25]

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.[11]

On 21 September 2013, the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported information from a high-level North Korean defector who said that 9 members of the North Korean Unhasu Orchestra had been executed for making pornography, and that the execution was designed to cover up Ri's involvement in the film.[26][27] North Korea responded by saying that 'reptile media' had insulted its "highest dignity" by spreading lies.[27][28] Sources inside North Korea reported it had become a major scandal with many rumors spreading despite an official gag order.[29][30]

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,"[31][32] but she later reappeared with her spouse Kim at a military college.[31][32] It was followed by news reports in December 2012 that Ri was visibly pregnant, although North Korean officials did not comment on the speculation.[33][34][35]

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.[36] 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.[36][37][38] Rodman told The Guardian in September 2013 that the couple's baby, a girl, is named Ju-ae.[39]

Social media and international effect

Several "major news sources have continued to turn out speculation about the woman who is seen as an elusive East Asian celebrity."[40] There is no evidence that any of Ri Sol-ju's Facebook pages are her official Facebook page.[40]

According to social media analysis service Pulse K (펄스K) and the South Korean PR firm Medicom (미디컴) from 25 July 2012 to 15 August 2012, "the total number of tweets during this period skyrocketed to 21,329" about Ri.[40] "There were about 2,000 more tweets including the words "North Korea" and "Kim Jong-un" on the day she was revealed to be the leader's wife than on the day of a major announcement by Leader Kim on July 18."[40] On 18 July 2013, tweets about North Korea numbered 15,653 and tweets about Kim Jong-un numbered 11,231. On 26 July, tweets about North Korea hit 17,004 and tweets about Kim Jong-un reached 13,283."[40]

However, there is a distinct difference in style between the South Korean Twitterverse and the English-language social media dealing with Ri Sol-ju.[40] According to Darcie Draudt, the "media discourse about Ri Sol-ju does reveals [sic] some important ideas worth considering, including international and peninsular attitude toward the North Korean elite."[40] On one hand, the South Koreans "praise her beauty and modern style but also remain sceptical" because of social and economic corruption and the English-speaking audiences "see her as a fashionable doll of the North Korean regime."[40] Draudt argues "internet-based discourse of her reveals more about the people making the constructions."[40]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 绫罗人民游园地竣工 金正恩出席, 조선중앙통신 중국어판
  2. ↑ "北김정은 옆 그녀들, 전부다 부인 '리설주'?". 머니투데이. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "(LEAD) N. Korean leader's wife visited S. Korea in 2005: spy agency". Yonhap News. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Joohee Cho (26 July 2012). "North Korea's First Lady Was Cheerleader, Ditches Drab Outfits". ABC News. Retrieved 26 July 2012. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Sang-hun, Choe (26 July 2012). "That Mystery Woman in North Korea? Turns Out She's First Lady". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 July 2012. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Thayer, Nate (26 July 2012). "North Korea IDs Mystery Woman as Kim Jong-Un's Wife—But Who Is She, Really?". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 26 July 2012. 
  7. ↑ "North Korea's secretive 'first family'". BBC News. 15 February 2007. Retrieved 10 December 2012. 
  8. ↑ "Ri Sol-ju: pass notes No 3,273". The Guardian. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2012. 
  9. ↑ Lewis, Leo (25 July 2012). "Mystery woman Ri Sol-ju revealed as Kim Jong-un's bride". The Australian. Retrieved 25 July 2012. 
  10. ↑ "Kim Jong-Un married to mystery woman Ri Sol-Ju". 26 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "North Korea leader Kim Jong-un married to Ri Sol-ju". BBC News. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012. 
  12. ↑ Sang-hun Choe (25 July 2012). "North Korean Leader Marries". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 July 2012. 
  13. ↑ 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
  14. ↑ Hancocks, Paula (19 September 2012). "Kim Jong Il's sushi chef returns after fleeing for life". CNN. Retrieved 2 October 2012. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Moss, Hilary (19 September 2012). "Confirmed: When Ri Sol-ju Speaks, It Sounds Like Raindrops on Roses". The Cut. Retrieved 2 October 2012. 
  16. ↑ Lee, Jeff (9 August 2012). "Ri Sol-ju, first lady of impoverished North Korea, shows off luxury Dior handbag". China Buzz. Retrieved 5 October 2012. 
  17. ↑ "Ri Sol-Ju Bag: Lady Dior Clutch Debate Strikes North Korea". LALate. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Martin, Simon (28 July 2012). "North Korea's 'first lady' debut highlights secrecy". Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 29 July 2012. 
  19. ↑ Ryall, Julian (17 December 2012). "North Korea: could Kim Jong-un's wife be pregnant?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 December 2012. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Kwon, K. J.; Lai, Alexis (26 July 2012). "Kim Jong Un married in 2009, according to intelligence service". CNN. Retrieved 30 July 2012. 
  21. ↑ Kiyohito Kokita (7 September 2012). "Kim Jong Un's wife shined before marriage as a singer". Asahi Shimbun Weekly. Retrieved 19 December 2012. 
  22. ↑ "Kim Jong-un picked out his wife Ri Sol-ju as she sang during a concert performance". The Austrailian. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012. 
  23. ↑ "N.Korea Squanders Millions on Kim Family Cult". Chosun Ibo. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012. 
  24. ↑ Taylor, Adam (21 September 2012). "Kim Jong-un Is Trying To Erase His Wife's Popstar Past". Business Weekly. Retrieved 19 December 2012. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Ju-min Park (25 July 2012). "North Korea leader's wife can teach him about the enemy". Reuters. Retrieved 25 July 2012. 
  26. ↑ YOSHIHIRO MAKINO (21 September 2013). "Kim Jong Un orders 9 executed to protect wife from scandal". Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 21 October 2013. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "NORTH KOREA NEWSLETTER NO. 282 (October 10, 2013)". Yonhap News Agency. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2013. 
  28. ↑ Tania Branigan (23 September 2013). "North Korea criticises 'reptile media' for saying Kim Jong-un ordered executions". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2013. 
  29. ↑ Kang Mi Jin (10 October 2013). "Kim Sex Scandal Still on the Radar". DailyNK. Retrieved 21 October 2013. 
  30. ↑ http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2014/01/511_150297.html
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Kim Jong-un's wife reappears after two-month absence". The Telegraph. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Kim, Jack; Macfie, Nick (29 October 2012). "North Korea leader's wife reported back in public after long silence". Reuters. Retrieved 30 October 2012. 
  33. ↑ Boehler, Patrick (17 December 2012). "Another Lil' Kim? Wife of North Korea's Kim Jong Un Appears 'Heavily Pregnant'". Time. Retrieved 19 December 2012. 
  34. ↑ Nelson, Sara C. (30 October 2012). "North Korea, Kim Jong Un And Wife Ri Sol Ju Mark 60th Anniversary of Kim II Sung Military University in Pyongyang". Huffington Post. Retrieved 19 December 2012. 
  35. ↑ "Images suggest North Korea leader's wife pregnant". South China Morning Post. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012. 
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "Kim Jong-un 'Has a Little Daughter'". Chosun. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2013. 
  37. ↑ "Dennis Rodman lets the world know Kim Jong Un has a daughter". National Post. Associated Press. 19 March 2013. Retrieved 23 March 2013. 
  38. ↑ Kim Jong-un 'Has 2 Daughters' Chosun 16 May 2013
  39. ↑ "Dennis Rodman's slip gives away name of North Korean leader's baby", The Guardian.
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 40.4 40.5 40.6 40.7 40.8 Draudt, Darcie (3 March 2013). "Ri Sol-ju Goes Viral: What Social Media Reveal about the DPRK’s First Lady". SinoNK. Retrieved 15 July 2013. 
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