Ri Sol-ju

About

Ri Sol-ju (Korean: 리설주; born c. 1985–1989) is the current first lady of North Korea as the wife of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
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” (동무) to “Respected First Lady” (존경하는 녀사) – considered a significant honor and the first time the title has been used since 1974. At the same time, she began to take on a diplomatic role.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his family have been characterized as “secretive”. Very little information about Ri Sol-ju has appeared in official North Korean sources, but more speculative information has been reported in foreign media.

Very little is known for certain about Ri’s origins; some analysts have even said that her name “almost certainly is a pseudonym”. Her reported year of birth has ranged between 1985 and 1989. According to The Wall Street Journal, she was born in Chongjin, the capital of North…