North Korea confirms mystery woman is leader's wife

Sun-ju Ri, wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, during a visit to an amusement park in Pyongyang, July 25 2012. The new North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, is married, state media said on Wednesday, ending speculation about the relationship with a woman who has been seen by his side in recent events.

 

The new North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, is married, state media said on Wednesday, ending speculation about the relationship with a woman who has been seen by his side in recent events. The announcement, which is consistent with a trend jovial Kim has continued to desenmarcarse the severe style of government of his father, Kim Jong-il, came just two weeks after he was seen in a gala performance accompanied by women, Amid rumors about whether it was his wife, lover or sister.

"Kim Jong-one seems to give young people hope for a change, especially young women, a favorable impression of him, though it may bother the conservative old North Koreans," said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at the Sejong Institute. "Although Kim Jong-un still a dictatorship of a single leader, is expected to have a more open attitude in culture in the era of Kim Jong-il," he added.

Some observers in South Korea speculated that the woman was the singer, Hyon Song-wol, with which Kim Jong-un out for years before his father put an end to the relationship, but now had returned to the scene. However, North Korean state media said the woman called Ri Sun-ju, without elaborating. Now it is not clear when they married.

Recent television footage showed the two laughing, touching a child's hair and clapping as they watched a presentation series with Western melodies and Mickey Mouse.

Kim, just under 30 years, took over the family dynasty in December last year after the death of his father, whose regime plunged deep into North Korea in isolation, extreme poverty and political repression on a large scale.