E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
KCNA via Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and an unidentified woman believed to be Hyon Song Wol applaud during a performance in Pyongyang in a picture released by the state media on July 9, 2012.
Among North Korea watchers, it was as close as it gets to titillating tabloid news when an attractive, unidentified young woman suddenly started appearing alongside Kim Jong Un, the son who inherited leadership of the reclusive authoritarian regime from Kim Jong Il at the end of 2011.
The same glamorous woman — with short hair and dressed in a well-cut suit — appeared at Kim’s side at two events earlier this month. One was a somber ceremony marking the 18thanniversary of the death of his grandfather, North Korea’s founding father, Kim Il Sung. The other was a performance featuring Tigger and Minnie Mouse that was broadcast on state television.
After a flurry of speculation, South Korean intelligence experts have identified the woman as Pyongyang pop star Hyon Song Wol, the Joong Ang Daily newspaper in Seoul reported on Wednesday.
North Korea did not name the woman in the official press and details about her cannot be independently verified.
According to Joong Ang, translated by other news sources including The Independent of London, Hyon was the lead singer for Bochonbo Electronic Music Band, which had several hits in the mid-2000s, including "I love Pyongyang," and "We are the Troops of the Party."
In a YouTube music video of "Excellent Horse-like Lady" — reportedly her biggest hit — Hyon can be seen dashing amid equipment at a textile factory, raising workers spirits and productivity.
Intelligence officials said that Hyon and Kim first dated when Kim returned from a private high school in Switzerland a decade ago, but that the relationship was officially nixed by then leader Kim Jong Il, according to the South Korean newspaper, and Hyon reportedly married a military officer and had a child.
Kim Jong Il, dubbed "Dear Leader," died in December 2011, giving way to "Great Successor" Kim Jong Un, who has been consolidating his power over the military, government and Communist Party. Very little is known about the new leader, including his age. He is believed to be in his late twenties.
Kim Jong Un issues rare public drubbing, of a rollercoaster
Initial speculation raised the possibility that the woman was a sibling or half-sibling of Kim, whose father had two official wives, two other known domestic partners and an unknown number of liaisons.
Kim Jong Un has a younger full sister, about whom very little is known.
NorthKorean leaders typically do not appear in public with their wives, but as The Independent reported, these appearances were certainly not by chance, which raises another question for tea-leave readers to ponder: If Kim Jong Un is introducing a partner or wife to the public in a new way, does it mean he will start to change other entrenched practices that keep North Korea isolated from the rest of the world?
More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- North Korea mystery woman: A possible new first lady?
- Tsunami debris adds to 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch'
- Guantanamo detainee who served bin Laden returns to Sudan
- UK military asked to cover 3,500 Olympic security worker shortfall
- 'This is reality': Spain slashes spending, raises taxes in $79B austerity plan
- Costa Concordia captain admits he was 'distracted' by phone call
Leave a Comment:
No surprise about keeping the line of dictatorship intact... would be a better story if the dude was gay.
lol I was actually going to post "Oh wow he likes women? Wouldnt have guessed...."
And the headline "First Lady"?? How about "Dictator's Girlfriend". Hasn't the media learned anything from glamorizing Asma al-Assad?
Yawn!!!! - so the "despot in chief" has a "despotress in chief to be". Chances are the poor woman was given two choices "hang with and potentially marry this little fat fu_k dicator" or "you and your family will disappear".
The guy in the background, to the left of dear leader Un...He's holding papers and not applauding. He gets 5 years hard labor.
Congradulations on your new wife anyway.
It's not "dear leader Un" it's "great successor Un". Nobody knows who that gal is or even if it is wife.
I had a car pass me on vacation last week with car 56 on the licence plate. Mn?
They're playing Hide The Kimchee. She's cute at least; that country needs more style!
Whatever North Korea wants the rest of the world to see it is obviously a lie as they are genetically incapable of telling the truth about anything.
Is our government telling us the truth about everything? You are totally ignorant about North Korea. You only know what CNN, ABC, CBS, FOX, and MSNBC want you to know.
Said the paid North Korean shill.
LOL "paid North Korean shill." Seriously? This whole paid shill business is just a catch-all excuse for any news that the American right deems uncomfortable.
Oh, now there's two?
At least that guy is going to marry a woman, and is not considering legalizing homosexual and lesbian weddings, just like some western countries that glorify "diversity".
Funny how neocons are always whining about big government's intrustion into our lives except when its appeasing their agenda. Federal government does not have the Constitutional power to dictate over relgious issues such as marriage nor does it have the power to raid state approved medical marijuana dispenseries. What a bunch of hypocrites.
"Diversity" doesn't necessarily have anything to do with it. How about progressive? Open minded-ness. Your going to call two people in love's life long struggle and battle for same rights a diversity issue?
I'm with you NoScope. Separate church from state and state from fed, it's the way it was always supposed to be.
"Diversity" to jackasses like this is anything that doesn't adhere to a rural 1950s setting.
Midnight is a paid North Korean shill. He also smells of kimchi and cheap soju, and lives on a steady diet of dog and cat.
It sounds like you share a view of diversity with the leadership of North Korea. I suggest you move there to be with your own kind.
First Whore that is...she's cute and he's a dump of shytt...lol can't even imagine how much they pay her unless they have her family hostage
It seems more likely Kim Jong Il held her family hostage to keep her away from him not Kim Jong Un keeping her hostage to stay with him. And why do you call her a whore? I don't see how she's earned that kind of hate just from a few public appearances. If Kim Jong Il can have a few wives can't she have a few husbands? Or perhaps hers died or they divorced.
Her husband could have died of a 7.62mm through and through traumatic impaction I would guess. Spend a year on the DMZ and you might understand what Luv posted.
OH and of course the movie was a pirated Disney flick
It wasn't a movie. People dressed up in costumes pretending to be the Disney Characters and performed a live action play and music show on stage for an arena. The footage was on the Today Show yesterday.
Excellent horse-like lady? What am I missing in this translation? Are the women supposed to be hard workers like horses or are they calling her horsefaced? That video is a little too weird to be believable as a real pop song. Even in bad Anime movies from the 70's that opening would be a joke.
The lady is definitely a close blood relative. The girl isn't short fat and ugly like the succession of Kim leaders but my guess is that she is his sister.
That poor girl.
Hee-Haw !
Hee-Haw !
He always calls me that !!
I can't imagine her saying NO. As one post stated the guy not clapping will probably do hard time.
Good PR move. I think it softens his image. Now if he can just do a little more about feeding his people...
Did you take a look at his picture? Does he look like a man who cares about feeding anyone other than himself? Anyone standing in front of him when his corset pops the laces will probably be killed by the shock wave.
I guess she's one of those "chubby chasers".
BTW, if she's "attractive" by NK standards, I pity the rest of the males in that country. Maybe they're all legally blind?
She was described as attractive by the writer of the article, not by "NK standards." The writer of this article is not North Korean.
He's into women? I would have lost that bet.
I love the titles of the "Hit " songs the best. They forgot to mention "Will Die for You Great Leader" and "Who Needs Food" totally groovy tunes I am told.
***Hyon was the lead singer for Bochonbo Electronic Music Band, which had several hits in the mid-2000s, including "I love Pyongyang," and "We are the Troops of the Party."***
I love Pyongyang? We are the Troops of the Party? Hits?
The more you hear about NK, the more pathetic it gets.
to the writer of this article, kari huus, isn't the singular of tea-leaves actually tea-leaf rather than tea-leave? sheesh.
MSNBC needs to research their stuff more. It is not the first time this happened. Kim Il Sung had his wife in propaganda photos (See Dae Suk Suh's book). As for the mystery woman, one of two things will happen - she is part of a developing cult of personality, or is very important and only mentioned in passing (if not at all), such as Jang Song Thaek.
North Korea is one of the world's most accomplished countries at putting together empty shows of affection. Defectors have admitted taking part in some of those pageants and not knowing at all what they were to celebrate. In NK you do as you are told, because the government feeds the dancers and flag wavers -- for the day of the pageant, anyway -- and everyone pitches in to get a meal. This may be an 'arranged marriage' of the actual ruler's daughter to Kim Jong Fat so she can keep him in line and make sure he does whet his generals tell him to do. Regardless, NK is going to continue on its track of being isolated from the 'real world' and spread propaganda to its citizens to keep them from learning the truth.
Where can I get her album ?
There is a man for every woman and visa versa.
The peace loving democratic peoples of the workers paradise used to play that nonsense over huge speakers to us gangster imperialist dogs of war when I was posted on the z. We would cheer when the alleged kimchee squat sound would stop and the propaganda started, but after a bottle of Souju and a couple of OB's she would have a pretty voice! Yobo sayo.
I would bang her