Ri Sol Ju, the wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has appeared on her own in state media – without her husband by her side – in what is being considered an unprecedented move in the history of the Kim family dynasty. A Korean Central Television (KCTV) broadcast on April 15 showed Ri in attendance for a ballet performance by the visiting Chinese artist delegation the previous day in Pyongyang, standing alone as she received applause from the crowd in a manner similar to that typically received by the country’s leader.
Ri appeared together with Chinese officials including the lead delegate Song Tao, head of the Chinese Communist Party’s International Liaison Department, as she received an orderly applause before sitting. She was then shown chatting with Song in much the same way Kim Jong Un does when he sits next to prominent foreign guests. The seat was also the designated spot where Kim would have sat if he had been in attendance.
The news segment covering the event was edited to ensure Ri was the main focus, cutting away to closeups of the seated Ri speaking with lead delegate Song, applauding the show, and waving with both hands to the performers at its conclusion.
In addition to this visual treatment, state media also referred to Ri for the first time as “Respected Madame Ri Sol Ju.” While she was first given the ‘Madame’ title back in February, the fact that the word “respected” was also used suggests that Ri is now overseeing political events on her own.
First solo political appearance for leader’s wife in 45 years
The last time the wife of a North Korean leader led a political event on her own was some 45 years ago. According to a former high-ranking North Korean official, Kim Song Ae – the second wife of Kim Il Sung – led “on-the-spot guidance” events between 1969 and 1971, appearing on the first page of the Rodong Sinmun conducting “guidance” at a daycare center in one instance. It was widely rumored at the time that the son they had together – Kim Pyong Il – was being groomed to become the senior Kim’s successor. But Kim Song Ae disappeared from state media and quietly lived out the rest of her life after Kim Jong Il emerged victorious in the struggle to become his father’s chosen successor. His younger brother Kim Pyong Il went on to hold various ambassadorships in Europe and is now the North Korean ambassador to Czechia.
Now, 45 years later, Ri Sol Ju’s leading role at a political event signals her rapid rise in political stature. If this and her other appearances alongside Kim Jong Un at the major diplomatic events of the past few months are any indication, we can expect to see her political role expand in the future.
Kim Yo Jong also leading political events
Kim Jong Un’s younger sister Kim Yo Jong is another female member of the family taking on prominent political roles in recent months. The role she played in welcoming the Chinese official Song Tao and the rest of the delegation on April 13 was something not seen before in North Korea. Kim was shown in state media guiding the group to their accommodation as the top government official, on her own, and speaking with Song in her official capacity.
While Kim Jong Il’s younger sister Kim Kyong Hui accompanied him during ‘on-the-spot guidance’ appearances in the past, she was not a primary focus of state media and was never shown leading international diplomatic events like Kim Yo Jong has been recently.
Entering the age of powerful women in North Korea?
Ri Sol Ju and Kim Yo Jong are now prominent, well-known figures throughout North Korea, and are beginning to take on more independent political roles almost simultaneously. Their power is only expected to grow from here, which may lead to the emergence of more influential women in the Kim Jong Un era. But as political appointees primarily by virtue of the Kim family dynastic system, it remains to be seen whether this will translate to more positions of power for women outside the family as well.
*Views expressed in Guest Columns do not necessarily reflects those of Daily NK.
