North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (2nd L) and his wife (red), who was named by the state broadcaster as Ri Sol-ju, visit the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang in this undated picture released by the North's KCNA on July 25, 2012.
It’s official: the sweet bachelor life is over for Kim Jong Un. North Korean state TV confirmed for the first time Wednesday that the country’s new Supreme Leader has tied the knot.
Remember that mystery woman spotted with him in recent weeks? They were photographed attending a Disney-themed gala together and appeared side-by-side at a palace tour last week. Reporters speculated widely that this woman may have been Kim Jong Un’s wife — or his sister or lover.
(PHOTOS: The Dictator’s Bride: Kim Jong Un Debuts His First Lady)
So it’s confirmed now that Kim Jong Un is married. But it wasn’t to whom we thought. Many surmised that she was the lead singer of the Ponchobo Electric Band, Hyong Son Wol. And what is the Ponchobo Electric Band known for, you may ask? Why, they’re famous for the smash-hit single “Excellent Horse-Like Lady.” We’re not kidding.
As it turns out, Kim Jong Un does have a wife, but she’s not the “Horse Lady” singer. The woman he’s been photographed with is named Ri Sol Ju, according to tweets from Steve Herman of Voice of America. Today, reports from North Korea referred to Lil’ Kim attending the opening ceremony of an amusement park with his wife, “Comrade Ri Sol Ju.”
[tweet https://twitter.com/W7VOA/status/228091617809162242%5D
[tweet https://twitter.com/W7VOA/status/228100883269971968%5D
And that’s where they left it — without any additional detail on his bride, not even a hint of when they were married. As always, the facts coming out of North Korea are fuzzy, but here is what we might know: Ri Sol Ju is believed to be from an upper-class family. She may have studied science in school. Her father is a professor and her mother is an obstetrician, analyst Cheong Seong Chang told the Korea Times newspaper, according to BBC. “The late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il arranged his youngest son’s marriage in a hurry after suffering a stroke in 2008,” Cheong Seong Chang added. The couple may even have a child together, born in 2009.
There is a singer by the same name in North Korea, but it has not been confirmed whether Kim Jong Un’s wife is the same woman. Perhaps he has a thing for singers?