hankyoreh

wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

By Park Byong-su, staff reporter

Ri Sol-ju, wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, raised eyebrows when she showed off a new, shorter hairstyle at a recent official event.

Along with a Sep. 9 report stating that Kim Jong-un and his wife had attended a concert featuring a police performance troupe, the North Korean paper the Rodong Sinmun printed a picture from the event. In the picture, Ri’s hair is short, and she is wearing a deep blue shirt with a black collar, making her look more Western and active.

The look also contrasts with the shoulder-length perm she sported while attending a performance by the Moranbong Ensemble on Aug. 4. At that event, she exuded femininity. In addition to the perm, she was wearing a light blue jacket with a flower-shaped brooch on her chest.

The new hairstyle is drawing attention as it coincides with the recent short hairstyle adopted by singers and performers with North Korea’s Moranbong Ensemble. Most of them had long, straight hair or a perm at the concert held on the anniversary of the ensemble’s founding in July 2012, but this year they have been showing up on stage with their hair cut short. Ri Sol-ju’s younger sister is a singer in the Moranbong Ensemble, which was reportedly founded by Kim Jong-un.

At a performance in July of this year, the hairstyles worn by leading singers in the ensemble (including Ryu Jin-ah, the first person to be called a “meritorious actor”, and Kim Yu-kyong, who was the lead singer in the ensemble’s early days) were especially similar to Ri’s recent hairstyle.

Reports say that the Moranbong Ensemble was established on direct orders from Kim. Considering these circumstances, Kim’s taste could be being reflected in the changes in the hairstyles of Ri and the ensemble singers and musicians.

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