On Wednesday, North Korea state run news agency confirms that the nation's leader Kin Jung-un is married. The nation's first lady has been identified as Ri Sol-ju, who was seen at the side of the leader at the opening ceremony of a national amusement park in the capital, Pyongyang.
According to BBC correspondent Lucy Williamson, Kim Jung-un has been married to Ri Sol-ju for the past three years. According to the report the couple has been married since 2009 and also has a child. According to a North Korean analyst at Sejong Institute in South Korea, Cheong Seong-chang, "The late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il arranged his youngest son's marriage in a hurry after suffering a stroke in 2008," as reported by BCC News.
The announcement came at the height of national speculation of the "mystery woman" who had been seen by the leader's side at various events since the past few weeks. There is speculation among the national as well as international community that the young leader, who came to power after his father Kim Jung-il's death in December is trying to change public perception by presenting himself as a softer, less severe head of state than his father. Prior to this, the people of North Korea had rarely, if ever, seen their first lady with the leader.
"Kim Jong-un showing up in public with his wife will appeal well to young North Koreans yearning for change, especially women, who are living in a deeply male-dominated society," tells Seong-Chang to the New York Times.
