Lee Sol Zhu is the wife of Kim Jong Un. What is known about the first lady of North Korea. Kim Chen In. Forbidden Biography

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has taken a course of openness - he agreed to meet with US President Donald Trump, refuse to nuclear weapons and .

In the field of view of the press came his wife Lee Sol Zhu, who on the eve of the first time was officially called the "respected first lady" of the DPRK. This title has not been used in North Korea for over 40 years.

Western experts believe that this status strengthens the position of Lee Sol in anticipation of the upcoming negotiations with South Korea and the United States. In addition, the first lady of the DPRK made the first official appearance without her husband.

Korrespondent.net decided to talk about the first lady of the most closed state in the world.

Wife of Kim Jong-un - Lee Sol-ju

Almost nothing is known about Lee Sol Zhu. She is 28 years old and grew up in a privileged family of a professor and doctor. According to the Independent, she studied singing in China and was a member of a sports cheerleading girl team, with whom she even visited South Korea.

She allegedly attracted the attention of Kim Jong-un while performing on stage.

For the first time, DPRK television named "Comrade Lee Sol Zhu" as the wife of its leader in 2012. At the time, the television crew briefly mentioned her, stating that "although the welcome song resonated, Kim Jong-un appeared at the event with his wife, Lee Sol-ju."

The first children of the spouses were born presumably between 2010 and 2013. It is still unknown whether the North Korean leader has a son-heir: the sex of the first and third child is unknown. Yonhap, citing intelligence, reports that they are boys.

The middle child is a girl named Zhu E. American basketball player Dennis Rodman, who unexpectedly struck up a friendship with Kim Jong-un, told about her. He called Kim himself a "good father", and his family - "beautiful".

Lee Sol, Kim Jong-un and Dennis Rodman/ EPA

It is believed that Kim has three children, since Lee Sol suddenly disappeared and returned so many times. There are no official announcements about the birth of children in the family.

Press South Korea reports that Lee Sol Joo gave birth to her third child in February of this year. The first suspicions about her pregnancy appeared in 2016, when she suddenly stopped going out.

At the end of March, the first lady of the DPRK already accompanied her husband on a trip to China. Note that Lee Sol and sister Kim Ye-jong are the only women accompanying Kim Jong-un in such events. Before him, the appearance of female top officials was not accepted for the DPRK.

Kim Jong Un and wife Lee Sol Zhu in China

The press draws attention to Lee Sol-ju's Western style of dress and relaxed demeanor. The first lady of North Korea sets trends for North Korean women.

It is believed that it was Lee Sol who forced Kim to reconsider the dress code of North Korean women and allow them to wear pants, heels or platform shoes, jewelry that has been banned for decades.

Despite the seemingly old-fashioned style of clothing, Lee Sol even appears at state events with products from leading Western brands. Her collection includes jewelry from Tiffany, bags from Chanel and Dior, expensive watches.

News from Korrespondent.net in Telegram. Subscribe to our channel

A difficult country is North Korea. Still a totalitarian republic. But, apparently, the totalitarianism of the state is gradually beginning to lose ground. So, Kim Jong-un, went to China ... with his wife. Previously, such "liberties" were not allowed! the site will tell you what else the North Korean first lady surprises the public with.

Way from a cheerleader

Lee Sol-ju is only twenty-eight years old (although there is no official date of birth, she may be thirty-five, according to journalists!), She is from a good, professorial family, and was a real cheerleader. I even visited South Korea with a support group ... from China. How and where she met the leader of the state, no one tells! They even talked about marriage after the wedding!

The fact that they didn’t talk about the wedding on time is just normal, but Kim Jong Il, the father of Kim Jong-un, didn’t talk about his personal life at all. So the current presidential couple is silent about the gender of their children - they only say that there are three. By the way, there is a version that Kim went to a concert where future wife sang and met there.

Lee Sol-ju and fashion

State event? Here is the wife of Kim Jong-un - with a handbag from Chanel! Or from Dior. Yes, and with jewelry from Tiffany. So much for contempt for Western values! And spending a lot of money on branded items. Journalists even wrote that Lee was simply copying Kate Middleton, demonstrating respect for the West - she went to Beijing, for example, in a coat that matches one of Kate's favorite coats in color ... Although of a different cut. She has a rather "Soviet" style - brooches, open-toed shoes over tights, midi skirts.

Challenge to Society by Lee Sol-ju

Yes, this seems to be an old-fashioned style - both in clothes and in everything in general, she seems to be a rather exemplary wife ... but they say that it was Lee's interest in fashion that made Kim Jong-un allow women to wear jewelry, high-heeled shoes, trousers. And ride a bike to boot! Wow, this is such a departure from North Korean traditions! .. Besides, Lee short haircut boldly wears. And instead of a badge with a portrait of the leader - designer brooches!..

Korea South and Korea North

That is, can you imagine how different the two parts of one country are? This is much tougher than the GDR and the FRG once were, notes JoInfoMedia journalist Diana Lynn. In North Korea, everything is strict, the cult of the personality of the leader, patriotism and the struggle for a bright future in a single, extremely strict rhythm. And South Korea at this time comes up with new types of cosmetics, releases all sorts of “cool” things and popularizes boy bands for fifty people, where two or three people sing, and the rest are just beautiful ...

We already talked once about, and all sorts of other interesting details about her. The First Lady of North Korea never ceases to be a subject of thought! Any information about her is certainly interesting. After all, this woman is a direct indicator: the dictatorship is weakening. If it goes on like this, with a probability in twenty years in North Korea it will no longer be something that is not so strict, but in general, almost everything is possible ... But before that, you will have to wait, what to do.

The first lady of the DPRK, Lee Sol Zhu, is no less interested in the media than her dictator husband. And she has a knack for appearing spectacularly at public events, often trampling on the prudish morals of North Korean moralists.

Since her public appearance as the first lady of the DPRK in 2012, this beautiful young mother of three has become a global media darling. For certain, little is known about the girl, and her person is surrounded by an aura of mystery.

Not much is known about the biography of Lee Sol Zhu. There is even less data that can be trusted. The Korean Wikipedia says that the future first lady was born on September 28, 1989 in the city of Chongjin, Hamgyongbuk-do province. Other sources are limited to the period 1985-1989 and indicate that the girl grew up in Pyongyang.

Her mother is a gynecologist, her father is the dean of a local university (according to other sources, a military man). But it can be unequivocally argued that the girl came from an intelligent, proud family, as indicated by the status of the institutions where she studied.

Lee Sol-ju graduated from the Geumseong Art School, a prestigious institution for the children of the ruling elite. As a student, she wore an expensive watch, then-banned trousers, and used a vacuum lunch box. Lee Sol Zhu even then loved luxury, ignored taboos and saw no reason to hide her wealth. She gave the impression of a person who was not afraid to arouse condemnation or envy.

In those years, Sol-ju began her career as a singer. She has participated in festivals and is rumored to have visited South Korea as part of a cheerleading team that traveled to Incheon for the Asian Athletics Championships. Then she studied vocals in China, despite the fact that not every North Korean gets the opportunity to travel abroad.

Upon her return, the girl became a soloist in the popular Ponchonbo ensemble, which performs patriotic songs using electronic and string instruments. As you know, Kim Jong Il was a big fan of this team.

Performance by Lee Sol-ju as part of the Poncheonbo ensemble.

At the end of 2011, Kim Jong Il died, and since April 2012, his son began to rule the country. Then Lee Sol-ju appeared several times in public in the company of the newly-made ruler, which caused a wave of rumors about who his companion was - then it turned out that she was singing in the ensemble. And on July 25, 2012, state media announced that the girl was in fact "his wife, Comrade Lee Sol-ju."

It is not known exactly when Kim and Lee got married. Some sources report that the wedding took place in 2009, and Li had a child the following year, others say that the couple did not meet until a classical music concert in 2010.

According to South Korean intelligence, Lee Sol-ju gave birth to her third child in February 2017. No official information has been received from the North Korean media. The only thing known about the first child is that he was born in 2010. The second child of the North Korean leader is the girl Kim Joo E, born in 2013.

Lee stands out sharply among her compatriots in her manner of dressing. If most women in North Korea must wear formal suits and behave as modestly as possible, then the first lady of this country allows herself to wear a skirt above the knee, heels, and even laugh out loud in front of everyone, holding her husband's arm.

An absolute beauty by North Korean standards, Lee Sol-ju gravitates towards European and American fashion. With the appearance of his young wife in public, Kim Jong-un lifted the ban on North Korean women wearing trousers, platform shoes and jewelry, which shocked the country's ideological moralists.

Lee Sol-ju was the first life partner of a North Korean leader who dared to cut her hair traditionally. long hair and started sporting short hair.

Also, Lee Sol Zhu allows himself to wear precious brooches instead of a badge with portraits of leaders, a must-have accessory in the DPRK. This was explained by the fact that for her there are no other men in the world, except for her beloved Kim Jong-un.

The dictator's wife is known for her love of Western fashion: she has been seen wearing bags from the most expensive designers such as Dior and Chanel. At the same time, her love of luxury goods has attracted international criticism, because ordinary citizens of North Korea have been struggling with hunger, drought and poverty for many years.

Prior to Lee Sol-ju, the leaders of North Korea had never taken their wives out into the public. For a country with a totalitarian regime, she shows amazing fearlessness and, unlike her predecessors, does not stand aside, whether it is a meeting of the General Staff or a trip with her husband to a dolphinarium.

Kim Jong-un and his wife Lee Sol-ju meet the football players-winners of the Cup East Asia- 2015".

Kim Jong-un, unlike his father and grandfather, has a quick-tempered and emotional character, which usually goes sideways for the leader of the country. But it can be assumed that a happy personal life - a beloved wife, three children - has a positive effect on the political decisions of the leader. So, in addition to intimidation and purges of the ruling elite, he implemented useful reforms.

It is not entirely clear what to expect in the future. But the inhabitants of the DPRK, thanks to changes recent years a faint hope settled that life would not always be covered with continuous prohibitions. As for Lee Sol-ju, today she is a style icon for North Korean women, and tomorrow, ignoring traditions, she may become a threat to one of the last pillars of totalitarianism.

This year will go down in the history of North Korea: 22 athletes went to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. A team of cheerleaders arrived to support them, which the network has already called the “Beauty Army”. It is noteworthy that all members of the support group undergo a rigorous selection: they must meet beauty standards and have a respectable family. And even dictator Kim Jong-un's wife is a cheerleader.

Kim Jong Un is a big sports fan. He is interested in football, basketball and skiing. That is why, under his leadership, the entire infrastructure began to develop and, of course, the training of cheerleaders began. Is it any wonder that the selected beauties sing and dance so synchronously that they conquered the whole world? Residents dream of watching their performance different countries because it just seems like a fantasy.

Lee Jung Hoon in an interview with The Straits Times: “They look like Korean women looked like many years ago. The army of cheerleaders has about two hundred 20-year-old girls in red uniforms. Watching them is like watching dominoes fall. Absolutely hypnotic effect.

The story of Kim Jong-un's acquaintance with cheerleader Lee Sol-ju is carefully hidden. In 2012, the media announced information that Kim would come to the next event with his wife. Despite the fact that at least nominally Li became the first person of the state, no information about her is disclosed.

According to South Korean intelligence, the wedding took place in 2009. True, for three years information about this event was hushed up in North Korea. Lee's appearance next to Kim was commented on in different ways: in some media she was called his sister, in others - a pop singer.

As you can see, the truth was somewhere nearby. Lee was on the cheerleading team. Girls who qualify for this team, in fact, get a ticket to better life. They have access to many benefits that ordinary people have not even heard of.

In general, the situation in the country is terrible: due to socio-economic isolation, the government can only rely on the export of coal and textiles. The country is still a large number of starving, and any benefits are distributed only among members of the party elite.

From fragmentary information about Li, it is known that she is 25-29 years old, she successfully graduated from the university and defended her PhD thesis. Her father is a professor. All this information in different time published in the Eastern press, but it should be borne in mind that such publications are often speculative.

They often cause sympathy, although their fate is unenviable. It is they who have to cope with the tough temper of dictators day after day.

North Korea becomes more open: the wife of Kim Jong-un, Lee Sol-ju, suddenly appeared in the field of view of the media. In public, the wife of the North Korean leader appears infrequently, however, this does not in the least prevent her from influencing the state of affairs in the country. What is known about the first lady of one of the most closed countries in the world, read the material "Gazety.Ru".

At the end of March, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited China - on the trip he was accompanied by his wife Lee Sol-ju. This is the second woman in the environment of Kim Jong-un, in addition to his sister, Kim Yo-jong, who takes part in events of national importance. For the DPRK, where for a long time it was customary to hide the women of the first persons from the public, such behavior of the leader looks very unusual. The first lady of North Korea not only gets on the pages of local media, but sets trends for North Korean women.

From cheerleader to first lady

Little is known about Kim Jong-un's wife Lee Sol-ju. She is 28 years old and grew up in a privileged family of a professor and doctor. According to The Independent, prior to meeting Kim Jong-un, Lee studied singing in China and was part of a team of girls from a sports cheerleading team, with whom she even visited South Korea.

Under what circumstances did the future spouses meet history is silent, however

even when Lee Sol-ju became the wife of Kim Jong-un, her existence was hidden from the public.

The news that Kim Jong-un has a wife appeared a few years after the marriage.

She first appeared in public at the opening of an amusement park in Pyongyang in 2012. Then the television people casually mentioned her, stating that "although the welcome song resonated, Kim Jong-un appeared at the event with his wife, Lee Sol-ju." From 2012 to 2014, she was extremely rarely published, but in 2015, 2016 and 2017, she disappeared from public view for a long time from time to time.

However, North Koreans were never surprised by this. Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, never made his personal life public.

According to one version, the couple got married in 2009 and a year later, Lee gave birth to a child. According to another, the future spouses first met only in 2010, when Kim Jong-un attended a concert by Lee Sol-ju (in her youth, the girl performed in the state ensemble "Unhasu"). Now they are raising three children, but neither their gender nor age is known.

Main fashionista

Despite all the conservative views in the DPRK, Lee Sol Zhu is a big fan of fashion.

Even at state events, she appears with products from leading Western brands. Her collection includes jewelry from Tiffany, bags from Chanel and Dior, expensive watches.

Such a frank interest of the first lady of the DPRK in chic things is bewildering about the Western press: it is known that the people of North Korea are at least not spoiled for luxury, and Lee Sol Zhu allows himself to spend fabulous sums on handbags and other accessories of Western houses.

The clothing style of the first lady of the DPRK is of particular interest to the press. So, The Sun journalists are convinced that she is copying Kate Middleton to show respect for the West. As evidence, they cite one of the outfits that Li was wearing during a visit to Beijing - it matched one of the coats of the Duchess of Cambridge in color.

However, neither the silhouette nor the cut of Lee Sol Zhu's favorite styles is actually similar to what Prince William's wife wears.

If Kate tries to adhere to the latest fashion trends, then the costumes of Kim Jong-un's wife are more likely to resemble the outfits of Soviet women.

Jackets with small polka dots, skirts just below the knees, open-toed shoes worn over tights, and, of course, a brooch - this image is reminiscent of the heroines " office romance". With only one caveat: then such styles were really in vogue.

Challenge to society

Despite the seemingly old-fashioned style of clothing, Lee's image is a challenge to the DPRK society. There is an opinion that it was the interest in the fashion of the (at that time future) spouse of Kim Jong-un that made him reconsider his attitude towards the dress code of North Korean women and allow them to wear trousers, shoes with heels or platform, jewelry that has been banned for decades .