Her name is Ri Sol-ju.

In 2012, she was identified as the wife of small man syndrome sufferer Kim Jong Un, when the North Korean state media made it official.

But her introduction to the world was very underwhelming.

According to Business Insider, the media “mentioned her almost as an afterthought during coverage of an amusement park opening in Pyongyang”.

Here’s the accompanying photograph with half her face covered by Kim’s chubby arm:

Kim and Ri attend the opening ceremony of the Rungna People’s Pleasure Ground on Rungna Islet along the Taedong River in Pyongyang in this July 25, 2012 photograph released by the KCNA

Much like the facts and figures we gave you yesterday about life inside the country, few details are known about Ri and her marriage to Kim:

Some have reported the wedding was in 2009 and Ri gave birth to a child the next year, while others have said that the couple didn’t meet until a classical music concert in 2010.

But it’s no surprise, really: Kim’s father never introduced his multiple wives to the public at all.

Ri is thought to be around 28 and the mother to three children. While she doesn’t appear in public very often, when she does, Ri can be found at Kim’s missile test celebrations, smiling politely and wearing clean-cut, pastel and black dresses.

Kim and his wife Ri attend the opening ceremony of the Rungna People’s Pleasure Ground on Rungna Islet along the Taedong River in Pyongyang in this July 25, 2012 photograph released by the North’s KCNA.

The darling of the north? Perhaps.

Business Insider goes on to explain how “her father was a professor and her mother a doctor”. South Korean intelligence suspects she once studied singing in China, and visited South Korea in 2005 as a member of North Korea’s cheerleading squad.

Then there’s this:

Earlier this year, Ri disappeared from public view for several months, prompting speculation over her well-being. In August, South Korean intelligence reported that she had given birth to a child and dropped out of the public eye because she was pregnant.

It’s believed that Ri and Kim now have three children, though the most detailed information comes from former NBA star Dennis Rodman, well known for his controversial friendship with Kim and frequent trips to North Korea. Rodman said he met the couple’s second child in 2013, a baby girl named Ju-ae.

“I held their baby Ju-ae and spoke with Ms. Ri as well. [Kim’s] a good dad and has a beautiful family,” Rodman told The Guardian. Those details have not been independently corroborated.

And that’s that. We don’t even a picture of the future heirs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

[source:businessinsider]