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Ri Sol-ju

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Template:Korean name

Ri Sol-ju
Born1985–89 (age 35–39)
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Alma materGeumsung 2 Middle School
Kim Il-sung University
SpouseKim Jong-un
ChildrenKim Ju-ae (born 2012)
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
Hancha
Revised RomanizationRi Seol-ju
McCune–ReischauerRi Sŏlju

Ri Sol-ju or Lee Seol-ju (Korean: 리설주;[2] born 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

North Korea is secretive about Kim Jong-un and his 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][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]

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.[19][20]

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][21] 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.[19][21][22][23] Reportedly, North Korean officials are "trying to erase her past as a singer and entertainer by confiscating popular bootleg CDs of her performances",[24] such as her singing the song "Sobaeksu".[25] 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][21][26] 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."[26]

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]

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."[27] There is no evidence that any of Ri Sol-ju's Facebook pages are her official Facebook page.[27]

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.[27] "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."[27] 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."[27]

However, there is a distinct difference in style between the South Korean Twitterverse and the English-language social media dealing with Ri Sol-ju.[27] 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."[27] 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."[27] Draudt argues "internet-based discourse of her reveals more about the people making the constructions."[27]

See also

References

  1. ^ "观看牡丹峰乐团新作音乐会". 내나라. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  2. ^ "北김정은 옆 그녀들, 전부다 부인 '리설주'?". 머니투데이. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  3. ^ a b "(LEAD) N. Korean leader's wife visited S. Korea in 2005: spy agency". Yonhap News. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e Joohee Cho (26 July 2012). "North Korea's First Lady Was Cheerleader, Ditches Drab Outfits". ABC News. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  5. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2014/02/485_151556.html
  10. ^ Lewis, Leo (25 July 2012). "Mystery woman Ri Sol-ju revealed as Kim Jong-un's bride". The Australian. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  11. ^ "Kim Jong-Un married to mystery woman Ri Sol-Ju". 26 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  12. ^ a b "North Korea leader Kim Jong-un married to Ri Sol-ju". BBC News. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  13. ^ Sang-hun Choe (25 July 2012). "North Korean Leader Marries". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  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. ^ Hancocks, Paula (19 September 2012). "Kim Jong Il's sushi chef returns after fleeing for life". CNN. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  16. ^ a b Moss, Hilary (19 September 2012). "Confirmed: When Ri Sol-ju Speaks, It Sounds Like Raindrops on Roses". The Cut. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "Ri Sol-Ju Bag: Lady Dior Clutch Debate Strikes North Korea". LALate. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 2 October 2012.
  19. ^ a b Martin, Simon (28 July 2012). "North Korea's 'first lady' debut highlights secrecy". Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  20. ^ Ryall, Julian (17 December 2012). "North Korea: could Kim Jong-un's wife be pregnant?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  21. ^ a b c Kwon, K. J.; Lai, Alexis (26 July 2012). "Kim Jong Un married in 2009, according to intelligence service". CNN. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  22. ^ Kiyohito Kokita (7 September 2012). "Kim Jong Un's wife shined before marriage as a singer". Asahi Shimbun Weekly. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  23. ^ "Kim Jong-un picked out his wife Ri Sol-ju as she sang during a concert performance". The Australian. 26 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  24. ^ "N.Korea Squanders Millions on Kim Family Cult". Chosun Ibo. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  25. ^ Taylor, Adam (21 September 2012). "Kim Jong-un Is Trying To Erase His Wife's Popstar Past". Business Weekly. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  26. ^ a b Ju-min Park (25 July 2012). "North Korea leader's wife can teach him about the enemy". Reuters. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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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