Often spotted in an understated suit dress, glasses, and carrying a black handbag, there’s a new character in the inner circle of Kim Jong-un in nuclear-armed North Korea. But her identity, for now, remains a mystery.
She was at Kim’s side last week during a massive outdoor concert and was also seen carrying folders at a speech to the country’s parliament, the Supreme People’s Assembly, in which Kim vowed never to give up nuclear weapons.
North Korea’s tightly controlled state media have been publishing photos or videos showing the woman – sometimes next to Kim and sometimes far in the background – for months, but have never identified her.
The US-based website NK News, which reports closely and critically on North Korea, first noticed her in February and has been following her ever since.
“She has typically been seen carrying a handbag, possibly containing items the North Korean leader needs on call at all times such as his phone, cigarettes or medicine,” the site said.
It estimated her to be in her 30s or 40s and speculated that she might even be one of Kim’s relatives. The North Korean leader is thought to have at least two half-sisters, named Kim Sol-song and Kim Chun-song, both born in the 1970s.
NK News said Kim Sol-song, the elder half-sister, may have “remained active in the party’s leadership behind the scenes”. Very little is known about Kim Chun-song.
The Kim dynasty, established in 1948 by Kim Il-sung, has ruled with an iron fist for three generations and rarely appoints women to senior positions. Kim Jong-un, however, has allowed a few women into powerful positions, both official and unofficial.
Most prominent is his sister, Kim Yo-jong, 34, who has become the single most important figure in the North Korean regime after her brother, often representing him internationally and seen as his propagandist-in-chief. She is rumoured to be the brains behind Kim’s carefully constructed public image, both domestically and abroad.
This year, the supreme leader appointed the country’s first female foreign minister, Choe Son-hui, 57. He has also appeared with Hyon Song-wol, 44, a pop star rumoured to have been Kim’s former girlfriend, whose band sings odes to their leader while in military uniforms.
In 2018, Kim gave his wife, Ri Sol-ju, the title of “respected first lady”, in what analysts said was a major boost to her political status.
