Has Kim Jong-un executed his wife? Ri Sol-ju's absence from public makes people fear she's sick or dead
Kim Jong-un's wife has been away from the public eye for nearly nine months, fueling rumors that she is either sick or has been executed by the North Korean supremo. 31-year-old Ri Sol-ju was last pictured by state media on January 25, when she accompanied her husband to a Lunar New Year performance at a theater in Pyongyang, according to The Sun.
The couple was seated next to Kim's 74-year-old aunt Kim Kyong-hui, who helped in his ascension to the throne but had not been seen in public for over six years. Ri has since retreated from the public eye and hasn't attended a number of key national events, giving rise to speculation that she may have been executed by the despot.
In December 2013, Kim Kyong-hui’s husband, Jang Song-thaek, 67, was executed — shortly after Kim Jong-un took control of the Hermit Kingdom following the demise of his father Kim Jong-il, 70, in December 2011. That said, the "respected first lady" also did not show at North Korea's October 10 military parade — an event she has attended in the past.
Speaking to Daily NK, a Seoul-based website run by North Korean defectors, a source said that Ri's months-long absence is being widely discussed — and that three "rumors" are circulating. The first rumor is that Ri is suffering from a health malady — but this is not the "leading theory" per the report. Meanwhile, there are many who believe Ri is "caring" for Kim's aunt Kim Kyong-hui — the younger sister of Kim Jong-il — who is thought to be in poor health. "This rumor is the most prevalent in the society given that it has been spread by people with 'quick access to information,'" Daily NK reported.
Kim purportedly has a lot of "affection" for his ailing aunt after he allegedly executed her husband, per the report. He has since ensured she is “specially cared for” and treats her like a “family elder." Furthermore, it is also speculated that Ri is giving all her time and attention to nurturing the couple's daughter, who would now be old enough to go to primary school. "This would only be true, however, if Ju-ae started school normally like other children," Daily NK noted. "Some North Koreans reportedly believe that Ri, as Ju-ae’s mother, would naturally manage her daughter’s education-related activities, including those activities that focus on her role as the daughter of the country’s leader." Retired American basketball legend Dennis Rodman told reporters how he held Kim Jong-un's baby Ju-ae when he visited North Korea in September 2013.
That said, yet another theory is that Ri's absence from public events is a precautionary measure amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Some believe the first lady is wary of attending mass gatherings as it could put the health of her children at risk. Kim and Ri's marriage was confirmed by North Korea in July 2012 — about a month after she was spotted with him for the first time in public. Ri was first sighted publicly singing on video footage of a performance released by Pyongyang in February 2011. She had taken a six-month course in the duties of a first lady, according to Yonhap news agency. It is reported that Ri, a Kim Il-sung University graduate, is from the northeastern province of North Hamkyong. Her father is an academic and her mother a doctor.