Ri Sol-ju

Ri Sol-ju (; born 1985–1989)

Little is known about her from official North Korean sources, but outside sources have speculated more about her background. While she has made many public appearances with her husband, she has also spent long periods out of the public eye. In April 2018, state media announced that her new title had been elevated from merely "Comrade" to "Respected First Lady" considered a significant honor and the first time the title has been used since 1974. Very little information about Ri Sol-ju has appeared in official North Korean sources, but more speculative information has been reported in foreign media.

Early life

Very little is known for certain about Ri's origins; some analysts have even said that her name "almost certainly is a pseudonym". According to The Wall Street Journal, she was born in Chongjin, the capital of North Hamgyong Province. She is said to have graduated from Geumsung 2 Middle School in Pyongyang and studied abroad in China, majoring in vocal music. JoongAng Ilbo and some commentators have identified Ri as a singer in the Unhasu Orchestra that has made several overseas performances. Reportedly, North Korean officials are "trying to erase her past as a singer and entertainer by confiscating popular bootleg CDs of her performances", such as her singing the song "Sobaeksu". In 2012, she was reportedly a graduate student at Kim Il Sung University, pursuing a PhD in science. as a member of the North Korean cheerleading team during the Asian Athletics Championships. She was said to be among 90 cheerleaders who chanted "We are one!" Her identity as Kim Jong Un's wife first became known to the public in July 2012.

In December 2012, it was reported that Ri was visibly pregnant, although North Korean officials did not comment. In March 2013, former NBA basketball player 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 . He said that Jong-un had "a beautiful family" and was a "good dad".

First Lady of North Korea In 2012, Ri made several public appearances standing next to Kim Jong Un, causing speculation about who she might be. South Korean intelligence officials wrongly identified her as Hyon Song-wol, a former singer for the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, a musical group popular in North Korea. 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". The announcement of the marriage marked a change from Kim's father Kim Jong Il, who had never introduced his wives to the public. As a parting gift, Ri gave Fujimoto a Christian Dior handbag,

From 2012 to 2014, Ri appeared occasionally in the North Korean media, accompanying her husband to events, but subsequently, she was rarely seen. She had long periods out of the public view in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

In 2018, Ri took on a diplomatic role. In March 2018, she visited China with her husband, meeting China's paramount leader Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan. In April 2018, ahead of the April 2018 inter-Korean summit, Ri's title was elevated to "Respected First Lady" (instead of just "Comrade"), the first time since 1974 the title 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 often makes major announcements. Ri attended the summit, the first wife of a North Korean leader to do so, and met the First Lady of South Korea, Kim Jung-sook, for the first time. The two first ladies were observed as being close to each other during their meetings that year. In May, she met with US diplomats and helped ease tensions. She also helped host the visit of China's paramount leader Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan in June 2019.