[h=3]By EVAN RAMSTAD[/h]SEOUL—The guessing game in Pyongyang is over.
The woman who has appeared at several events with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Eun this month is his wife and her name is Ri Sol Ju, the North's state-run broadcasters reported Wednesday night.
Ms. Ri most recently appeared in pictures released Wednesday of a visit the couple made to an amusement park. Ms. Ri wasn't mentioned by the North's official news agency in a report earlier in the day about the visit, nor did her name appear in caption information with the pictures distributed by the agency.
REUTERSThe announcement ended speculation inside and outside North Korea about Ri Sol Jul that started when she was photographed sitting next to Kim Jong Eun. Above, the couple at the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground.
But on Wednesday evening, state-run radio and TV broadcasts mentioned her by name as Mr. Kim's wife. They gave no other details.
Even so, the news represents a significant departure for North Korea's media, which never showed Mr. Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, with a spouse and rarely showed his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, with one.
Both elder Kims had more than one wife and several consorts. Kim Il Sung's first wife, who died when Kim Jong Il was a young child, is held up in North Korean propaganda as a heroic soldier who fought Japanese colonialists as her husband did.
With no further explanation about Ms. Ri, outside analysts are left to guess about the broader significance of her sudden appearance and the official acknowledgement of her by the North's state media.
She emerged about six months after Kim Jong Eun took power following the Dec. 17 death of his father. The transition appeared smooth until last week when North Korea announced the stripping of titles from its top military officer, appointed a successor to that officer, and then conferred a higher military rank on Mr. Kim.
North Korea staged a military ceremony and dance to celebrate those changes, but the actions suggested a purge-like dismissal and possible tension between Mr. Kim and the military.
The new leader, believed to have been born in either 1983 or 1984, faces the challenge of legitimizing his power in a culture that traditionally places great value on seniority by age. "The most compelling narrative is that they're trying to make him seem adult, responsible—and overcome negative perceptions about his young age," said Gordon Flake, a Korea watcher and executive director of the Mansfield Foundation in Washington. "It also plays into the narrative that he's trying to do things differently."
Wednesday night's report also ended speculation inside and outside North Korea about Ms. Ri that started when she was photographed sitting next to Mr. Kim at a July 6 concert.
South Korean intelligence officials and outside analysts speculated the woman might be Mr. Kim's wife; his younger sister Kim Yo Chong; or a North Korean rock singer named Hyon Song Wol, who reportedly directed the concert. Later, analysts used previous pictures of Ms. Hyon to rule her out. And with each new appearance—at a memorial event and at visits to nurseries and schools—analysts grew more certain that she was Mr. Kim's wife.
Following the release of her name Wednesday night, a new round of speculation began as reporters and analysts spotted YouTube videos of a North Korean singer named Ri Sol Ju. It wasn't immediately clear, however, that woman in the video is the same as Mr. Kim's wife.
Write to Evan Ramstad at [email protected]
The woman who has appeared at several events with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Eun this month is his wife and her name is Ri Sol Ju, the North's state-run broadcasters reported Wednesday night.
Ms. Ri most recently appeared in pictures released Wednesday of a visit the couple made to an amusement park. Ms. Ri wasn't mentioned by the North's official news agency in a report earlier in the day about the visit, nor did her name appear in caption information with the pictures distributed by the agency.
REUTERSThe announcement ended speculation inside and outside North Korea about Ri Sol Jul that started when she was photographed sitting next to Kim Jong Eun. Above, the couple at the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground.
But on Wednesday evening, state-run radio and TV broadcasts mentioned her by name as Mr. Kim's wife. They gave no other details.
Even so, the news represents a significant departure for North Korea's media, which never showed Mr. Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, with a spouse and rarely showed his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, with one.
Both elder Kims had more than one wife and several consorts. Kim Il Sung's first wife, who died when Kim Jong Il was a young child, is held up in North Korean propaganda as a heroic soldier who fought Japanese colonialists as her husband did.
With no further explanation about Ms. Ri, outside analysts are left to guess about the broader significance of her sudden appearance and the official acknowledgement of her by the North's state media.
She emerged about six months after Kim Jong Eun took power following the Dec. 17 death of his father. The transition appeared smooth until last week when North Korea announced the stripping of titles from its top military officer, appointed a successor to that officer, and then conferred a higher military rank on Mr. Kim.
North Korea staged a military ceremony and dance to celebrate those changes, but the actions suggested a purge-like dismissal and possible tension between Mr. Kim and the military.
The new leader, believed to have been born in either 1983 or 1984, faces the challenge of legitimizing his power in a culture that traditionally places great value on seniority by age. "The most compelling narrative is that they're trying to make him seem adult, responsible—and overcome negative perceptions about his young age," said Gordon Flake, a Korea watcher and executive director of the Mansfield Foundation in Washington. "It also plays into the narrative that he's trying to do things differently."
Wednesday night's report also ended speculation inside and outside North Korea about Ms. Ri that started when she was photographed sitting next to Mr. Kim at a July 6 concert.
South Korean intelligence officials and outside analysts speculated the woman might be Mr. Kim's wife; his younger sister Kim Yo Chong; or a North Korean rock singer named Hyon Song Wol, who reportedly directed the concert. Later, analysts used previous pictures of Ms. Hyon to rule her out. And with each new appearance—at a memorial event and at visits to nurseries and schools—analysts grew more certain that she was Mr. Kim's wife.
Following the release of her name Wednesday night, a new round of speculation began as reporters and analysts spotted YouTube videos of a North Korean singer named Ri Sol Ju. It wasn't immediately clear, however, that woman in the video is the same as Mr. Kim's wife.
Write to Evan Ramstad at [email protected]