North Korean state media Wednesday confirmed that its new leader Kim Jong-Un is married, ending weeks of speculation about the identity of a stylish young woman seen accompanying him at official events. State television reported that Kim and his wife took part in a ceremony Wednesday marking completion of a Pyongyang amusement park.
"Marshal Kim Jong-Un took part in the opening ceremony of Nungra People's Amusement Park with his wife, Comrade Ri Sol-Ju," it said. The couple were given a warm welcome, the official news agency said. "All the participants enthusiastically welcomed them, loudly shouting 'Hurrah!'", it reported. A smiling Kim and his wife toured the pleasure grounds and watched a dolphin show "to the tune of joyful music" together with senior party, state and army officials and diplomats, the agency said. There was no information on how long they have been married.
Kim, believed to be in his late 20s, took over the impoverished nuclear-armed nation when his father Kim Jong-Il died last December. But the intensely secretive state had previously given no details of his private life. The short-haired woman was first shown with Jong-Un during a concert in Pyongyang on July 5. She was seen walking next to the leader on July 8 when he visited the mausoleum of his grandfather and the nation's founder Kim Il-Sung. On July 24, photos aired by state television showed her standing close to the new leader during a visit to a kindergarten. With other officials staying a few steps behind the pair, she was seen smiling while standing immediately behind or next to Jong-Un as he hugged and talked to children.