Kim Jong-un is married to his childhood friend

Kim Jong-marriage un's to Ri Sol-Ju was revealed for the first time in North Korean official media on July 25, 2012. She was a cheerleader and vocalist in the past. The pair reportedly grew up together as buddies. Before the revelation, Ri, who was thought to be in her early 20s, had been accompanying Kim Jong-un to public engagements for a few weeks. A South Korean observer claims that Kim Jong-il hurriedly set up the union after having a stroke in 2008; the couple wed in 2009, and they welcomed a kid in 2010. After paying them a visit in 2013, Dennis Rodman learned that they had a second child, a girl called Ju-ae. In February 2017, the couple is thought to have given birth to the third kid of unknown sex, according to South Korean intelligence sources.

Ri began acting diplomatically in 2018. She traveled to China in March 2018 with her husband, where they met Peng Liyuan, the wife of China's president Xi Jinping. Before the April 2018 inter-Korean summit, Ri's title was changed from "Comrade" to "Respected First Lady," the first time the title has been used in North Korea since 1974. The previous holder was Kim Song-ae, Kim Il-second sung's wife. The title change was announced in a news bulletin read by prominent anchorwoman Ri Chun-hee, who frequently makes significant announcements.

Ri, the first spouse of a North Korean leader to attend the summit, had her first encounter with Kim Jung-sook, the First Lady of South Korea. Throughout their encounters that year, it was noted that the two first ladies were friendly with one another. She spoke with US diplomats in May and contributed to reducing hostilities. In June 2019, she also assisted in organizing the visit of Xi Jinping, the supreme leader of China, and his wife Peng Liyuan.