A mysterious lady with a handbag is often seen next to the North Korean leader
The mystery surrounding the new woman in Kim Jong-un's inner circle excites the Western media. In recent months, the woman has been repeatedly photographed alongside the North Korean leader, often with a handbag.
Screenshot from Phuong DPRK Daily video
A new figure has appeared in Kim Jong-un's inner circle in nuclear-armed North Korea, often seen in discreet suit dresses, glasses and carrying a black handbag. However, her identity remains a mystery, writes the British edition of The Guardian.
Last week, the mystery woman was next to Kim Jong-un during a massive open-air concert and was also seen carrying folders during a speech in the country's parliament, the Supreme the People's Assembly, in which Kim Jong-un vowed never to surrender. nuclear weapons.< /p>
North Korea's tightly controlled state media has been publishing photos or videos of the woman — sometimes next to Kim Jong Un and sometimes further in the background — for months without ever identifying her.
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US website NK News, which provides detailed and critical coverage of North Korea, first spotted it in February and has been tracking it ever since.
“She was usually seen with a purse, maybe with items. that the North Korean leader must have things like his phone, cigarettes or medicine with him at all times,” the website said.
She is estimated to be in her 30s or 40s, and it has been speculated that she may even be one of Kim's relatives. The North Korean leader is believed to have at least two half-sisters, Kim Sol-sun and Kim Chun-song, who were born in the 1970s.
NK News reports that Kim Sol-sung, the older half-sister, she could “remain active in party leadership behind the scenes”. Very little is known about Kim Jong Un.
In April, Western media wrote about rumors about the identity of a woman who was seen with Kim Jong-un in several meetings. The woman attended a parade held in Pyongyang in April but did not see a badge with the portraits of North Korea's founding leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, as demanded by North Korean officials and citizens.
She was also seen next to Kim Jong-un Mercedes and handed him the documents while speaking at a political rally.
“We don't know what kind of job or function this person is doing,” Michael Madden, an expert on the North Korean elite, commented at the time. “But since she was seen getting out of Kim Jong-un's personal car at an event, it is reasonable and safe to assume that she works directly for him in his executive office.” Kim Jong Un has four or five men and women who work for him as administrative and personal assistants. This woman could be his personal secretary.”
Commenting on speculation that it could be Kim Sol Song, Western media recalled that she served as director of events for Kim Jong Il until his death in 2011. “This includes agreeing on the leader's plan, security measures, protocol and intelligence requirements ,” explained Michael Madden. “In a political culture like North Korea's, it's quite an important job because this person controls the access of North Korea's elite citizens to the leader – at least for public events.”
As As The Guardian noted, Kim Jong-un has allowed several women into positions of power, both official and unofficial.
Most notable is his sister Kim Yo-jong, 34, who has become the most important figure in the North Korean leadership after her brother, often representing him at international level and considered her to be his main propagandist. She is said to be the “think tank” of Kim Jong-un's carefully crafted public image at home and abroad.
This year, the DPRK's supreme leader appointed the country's first female foreign minister, 57-year-old Choi Sung-hee.
In 2018, according to The Guardian, Kim Jong-un awarded his wife Ri Sol-ju the title of “respected first lady”, which, according to analysts, significantly increased her political status.< /p>