Ri Sol-ju

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 Hamgyong Province. Ri's family is reportedly from the political elite; her mother is the head of a gynecology ward and her father is a professor. She is said to have graduated from Geumsung 2 Middle School in Pyongyang and studied abroad in China, majoring in vocal music. She is said to be 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. 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.^{[needs update]}

Ri reportedly visited South Korea in 2005 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!" 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."

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. Her identity as Kim Jong Un's wife first became known to the public in July 2012.

Ri possibly gave birth to a child in 2010; sources reported it was a boy.

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 Kim Ju Ae (Korean: 김주애). He said that Jong-un had "a beautiful family" and was a "good dad".