Kim Jong Un Wife Kim Jong Un Holding Baby

First Lady of North Korea, wife of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un

Ri Sol-ju
리설주
Ri at the April 2018 inter-Korean summit
First Lady of North korea
Incumbent
Assumed role 15 Apr 2018
Supreme Leader	Kim Jong-united nations
Preceded by	Kim Song-ae
Personal details
Born	c. 1985[i]–1989[2] (age 32–37) North korea
Citizenship	North korea
Spouse(south)	Kim Jong-un ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	Kim Ju-ae [ko] (daughter)
Alma mater	Kim Il-sung University[3]
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl	리설주
Hancha	李雪主
Revised Romanization	Ri Seol-ju
McCune–Reischauer	Ri Sŏlju

Ri Sol-ju (Korean: 리설주 ; born c. 1985–1989)^{[1] [two] [4]} is the wife of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, and is the get-go lady of North Korea.^[five]

Fiddling is known near her from official Due north Korean sources, but outside sources have speculated more than about her background. While she has fabricated many public appearances with her husband, she has also spent long periods out of the public center. In Apr 2018, state media had announced that her new title had been elevated from but "Comrade" to "Respected Showtime Lady" – considered a significant accolade and the first time the championship has been used since 1974.^[six] At the aforementioned time, she began to take on a diplomatic part.

Biography

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his family have been characterized every bit "secretive".^[seven] Very fiddling information about Ri Sol-ju has appeared in official Due north Korean sources, but more speculative information has been reported in foreign media.^{[viii] [ix]}

Early on life

Very little is known for certain about Ri's origins; some analysts accept even said that her name "nigh certainly is a pseudonym".^[3] Her reported twelvemonth of birth has ranged between 1985^[one] and 1989.^{[3] [2] [4]} Ri's family is reportedly from the political elite; her mother is the head of a gynecology ward and her father is a professor.^{[three] [10]} She is said to take graduated from Geumsung 2 Middle School in Pyongyang and studied abroad in Communist china, majoring in vocal music.^[four] She is said to exist related to Ri Pyong-chol, a former general of the Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force and close advisor of Kim Jong-un.^[eleven] JoongAng Ilbo and some commentators have identified Ri as a singer in the Unhasu Orchestra that has made several overseas performances.^{[12] [ten] [13] [xiv]} Reportedly, Due north Korean officials are "trying to erase her past equally a vocalizer and entertainer by confiscating popular bootleg CDs of her performances",^[15] such as her singing the vocal "Sobaeksu".^[16] She is reportedly a graduate student at Kim Il-sung Academy, pursuing a PhD in science.^[3]

Ri reportedly visited S Korea in 2005, every bit a member of the North Korean cheerleading team during the Asian Athletics Championships.^{[iv] [10] [17]} She was said to be among 90 cheerleaders who chanted "We are one!"^[iv] Ri reportedly told a South Korean instructor while on the trip: "Nosotros want to have classes from the Southward's teachers after being reunited as soon as possible."^[17]

Marriage and children

The BBC, quoting an annotator who spoke to The Korea Times of Due south Korea, reported that Kim's male parent, Kim Jong-il, had hastily arranged his son'south marriage afterward suffering a stroke in 2008. The ii were reportedly married in 2009.^{[18] [19]}

Ri peradventure gave birth to a child in 2010; sources have reported information technology is a boy.^{[18] [19] [20]}

In December 2012, information technology was reported that Ri was visibly meaning, although North Korean officials did not comment.^{[21] [22] [23]} In March 2013, former NBA basketball histrion Dennis Rodman visited Kim Jong-un in North korea. Rodman told The Guardian in September 2013 that the couple's child, a girl, is named Kim Ju-ae [ko] (Korean: 김주애 ).^[24] He said that Jong-un had "a cute family unit" and was a "practiced dad".^[19]

South Korean intelligence officials reported that Ri gave nascence to a third child of unknown gender in Feb 2017.^[19]

Starting time Lady of Democratic people's republic of korea

In 2012, Ri made several public appearances continuing next to Kim Jong-un, causing speculation well-nigh who she might be. South Korean intelligence officials wrongly identified her as Hyon Song-wol, a former vocalist for the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, a musical grouping popular in North Korea.^{[25] [26]} Nevertheless, on 25 July 2012, North Korean state media announced that she was really Kim'southward wife, saying she was "his wife, Comrade Ri Sol-ju".^{[xviii] [27]} The proclamation of the wedlock marked a change from Kim's father Kim Jong-il, who had never introduced his wives to the public.^[5]

In July 2012, at an elite gala concert in North Korea, Ri was stylishly "dressed in a trim black adjust in the Chanel tradition", considered unusual for Northward Korean women.^[5] Forth with other recent changes, such as the firing of a hard-line elevation 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]

In September 2012, Kenji Fujimoto, the former personal sushi chef of Kim Jong-il, said he met Ri on a contempo trip to Democratic people's republic of korea. He described her as "merely so charming... I cannot describe her voice, it's so soft..."^{[28] [29]} As a parting gift, Ri gave Fujimoto a Christian Dior handbag,^[29] which Ri was earlier reported to take been conveying.^{[xxx] [31]}

From 2012 to 2014, Ri appeared occasionally in the North Korean media, accompanying her husband to events, merely afterward, she was rarely seen.^[32] She had long periods out of the public view in 2015,^[33] 2016,^{[34] [35]} and 2017.^[36]

In 2018, Ri took on a diplomatic role. In March 2018, she visited Prc with her married man, meeting China'south paramount leader Eleven Jinping and his married woman, Peng Liyuan.^{[37] [38]} In Apr 2018, ahead of the April 2018 inter-Korean top, Ri's title was elevated to "Respected Offset Lady" (instead of just "Comrade"), the get-go fourth dimension since 1974 the championship had been used in North Korea; the previous bearer was Kim Il-sung's second wife, Kim Song-ae. The change in title was made public in a news report read by star anchorwoman, Ri Chun-hee, who frequently makes major announcements.^[6] Ri attended the elevation, the showtime wife of a Due north Korean leader to do and then, and met the Start Lady of South korea, Kim Jung-sook, for the first time.^[39] The 2 first ladies were observed as being close to each other during their meetings that yr.^[40] In May, she met with US diplomats and helped ease tensions.^[41] She also helped host the visit of China's paramount leader Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan in June 2019.^[42]

v t e Select[α] family unit tree of Democratic people's republic of korea'southward ruling Kim family[β] [γ] [δ]
Kim Bo-hyon 1871–1955 Kim Hyong-jik 1894–1926 Kang Pan-sok 1892–1932 Kim Jong-suk 1917–1949 Kim Il-sung 1912–1994 Kim Vocal-ae 1924–2014 Kim Yong-ju 1920–2021 Kim Young-sook 1947– Vocal Hye-rim 1937–2002 Kim Jong-il 1941?[ε]–2011 Ko Yong-hui 1952–2004 Kim Ok 1964– Kim Kyong-hui 1946– Jang Song-thaek 1946–2013 Kim Pyong-il 1954– Kim Sol-song 1974– Kim Jong-nam 1971–2017 Kim Jong-chul 1981– Kim Jong-un 1983?[ζ]– Ri Sol-ju c.  1986– Kim Yo-jong 1987– Kim Han-sol 1995– Kim Ju-ae c.  2012 [η]–
Notes: ^ To go along the tree of manageable size, it omits v out of the eight known children of Kim Il-sung. Other children not shown in the tree include: Kim Man-il, Kim Kyong-jin, Kim Yong-il, Kim Hyŏn-nam, and Kim Yŏng-il ^ Korean names often have a multifariousness of transliterations into English language, which can be disruptive. For instance, "Kim Jong-chul" may as well exist written "Gim Jeong-cheol" or "Kim Jŏng-ch'ŏl" among many other variations. See Korean romanization for more information. ^ Huss, Kan; Frost, Clay. "North korea's Offset Family unit: Mapping the personal and political drama of the Kim clan". msnbc.com. Retrieved 20 January 2013. (Confirms many, only not all, of the birth and death years. See individual articles for more references.) ^ Yan, Holly (16 Feb 2017). "The world's most mysterious family tree: Kim Jong United nations's secretive dynasty is full of drama, decease". Design by Alberto Mier. CNN. Retrieved 16 February 2017. ^ Official North Korean biographies of Kim Jong-il list his birth twelvemonth as 1942. The Korean calendar is based upon the Chinese zodiac which is believed to narrate 1'south personality. The year 1942 (Year of the Horse), in addition to being xxx years since Kim Il-Sung'south nascency may exist viewed equally a better year than others, thus creating a motive to lie virtually a nativity year. ^ Official Due north Korean biographies of Kim Jong-un listing his birth year as 1982. The Korean calendar is based upon the Chinese zodiac which is believed to characterize one's personality. The year 1982 (Yr of the Dog), in add-on to being 70 years since Kim Il-Sung's birth, may be viewed as a improve year than others, thus creating a motive to prevarication nigh a nascency year. ^ Birth yr for Kim Ju-ae is not publicly known. She may accept been born in either late 2012 or early on 2013.

See likewise

• Unhasu Orchestra

References

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External links

• Media related to Ri Sol-ju at Wikimedia Commons

Honorary titles
Vacant Title last held by Kim Song-ae	Starting time Lady of North Korea 2018–present	Incumbent

liggettwouldown.blogspot.com

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ri_Sol-ju

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