Ri Sol-ju is the wife of North Korean politician Kim Jong-un, who has been North Korea’s supreme leader since 2011. Official sources know little about the North Korean First Lady, but there is much speculation about her.
Wiki/Biography
Ri Sol-ju was born between 1985 and 1989 (age 33-37; as of 2022) in Chongjin, North Hamgyong Province, North Korea. She graduated from Pyongyang Jincheng No. 2 Middle School and studied in China, majoring in vocal music. Later, she studied for a Master of Science or PhD at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, North Korea.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′3″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
Ri Sol Ju and Kim Jong Un
family
Parents and siblings
Li’s family reportedly comes from the political elite. Her father is a professor and her mother is a doctor (director of the gynecological ward).
husband and children
Ri Sol-ju married Kim Jong-un in 2009 while she was studying for a master’s degree or doctorate in science at Kim Il-sung University. Kim Jong Il arranged a hastily arranged marriage for his son after he suffered a stroke in 2008. Kim Jong Il and Lee have three children together. The couple gave birth to a son in 2010. In December 2012, it was reported that Ri was apparently pregnant. In March 2013, former American professional basketball player Dennis Rodman reported when he visited Kim Jong-un in North Korea that the daughter of Kim Jong-un and his wife was named Kim Joo-ae. Lee gave birth to her third child in February 2017. In November 2022, North Korean state media released photos of Kim Jong-un holding hands with a little girl (possibly his daughter Kim Joo-ae) at the Pyongyang missile launch site.
Kim Jong Un, Ri Sol Ju and their daughter Kim Joo Ae
others
There is speculation that she may be the granddaughter or granddaughter of North Korean Marshal Ri Pyong-chol, who served as a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un. He also served as a general in the Korean People’s Army Air Force and Defense Air Force.
Li Bingzhe
early life
In 2005, she reportedly traveled to the western port city of Incheon to participate in the Asian Track and Field Championships as a member of the North Korean cheerleading team. Lee was one of 90 cheerleaders who chanted, “We are one!”
On September 5, 2005, a woman believed to be Ri Sol-ju waved to South Koreans as a member of the North Korean cheerleading team departing from Incheon International Airport at the Asian Athletics Championships in Incheon.
She is rumored to be actively involved in the performing arts. Previously, Lee was a singer with the North Korean Unha Orchestra. Some media reports claim that she was a member of an arts company and that on July 7, 2012, she choreographed the Moran Peak Theater Company’s performance, which featured Mickey Mouse and Hollywood film music. North’s KCTV broadcast a video clip from a concert in February 2011, which featured a female singer with the same name and a similar appearance.
public appearance
In North Korea, she first came to public attention in 2012, when she was spotted attending a gala concert for the country’s who’s who, wearing a traditional slim-fitting black suit by Chanel. She has since been spotted at a kindergarten, where photographers captured her smiling softly at children on a slide, and then at the inauguration of an amusement park in Pyongyang. At the time, she was known as the mysterious woman who appeared in North Korean media alongside Kim Jong-un. Soon, some people concluded that Kim Jong-un had married a wife and identified her as Comrade Ri Sol-ju. Ri Sol-ju’s public appearance is seen as significant by North Korea analysts, who believe Kim Jong-un is breaking with the leadership style of his father, Kim Jong-il, who was known for marrying beautiful performers but never introducing them to the public.
north korea first lady
In April 2018, North Korean state media promoted Ri Sol-ju from a mere “comrade” to a “respected first lady” in a report that she watched a Chinese ballet performance in Pyongyang over the weekend; the title was previously held by Kim Il-sung. Second wife Kim Song-ae proposed in 1974. The title change was officially announced by celebrity female anchor Ri Chun-hee, who often makes big announcements. Li took up the diplomatic post in 2018 when she visited China with her husband and met with China’s top leader Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan.
From left to right: Ri Sol-ju, Kim Jong-un, Xi Jinping, Peng Liyuan
Lee attended the April 2018 inter-Korean summit, where he met South Korea’s First Lady Kim Jung-sook for the first time.
On September 18, 2018, Ri Sol-ju (left) talked with South Korea’s first lady Kim Jung-sook during a visit to a music university in Pyongyang
Analysts believe Ri Yong Ho’s active participation in diplomatic activities is a symbol of changes within the North Korean leadership, a new female face that can soften the image of the North Korean Communist regime at home and abroad.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education