No one has seen Kim Jong Un's wife Ri Sol Ju in public in more than seven months, and speculation is flying about where she has been all this time.
Ri was last seen March 28 accompanying her husband on an official visit to a new health complex in Pyongyang. She was seen regularly in 2012, 2014, and 2015, but only three times in the first part of 2016, according to The Telegraph.
Some experts think the young, attractive woman might be pregnant, or that she has gotten onto her husband’s bad side for some reason. Experts on the regime in North Korea also have said she might have crossed Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, who is responsible for much of the political maneuvering behind the dictator’s rule. The dictator’s sister was placed in charge of North Korea’s propaganda and agitation department last year.
Another theory is that threats or attacks may have been made against Ri, and she is being closely guarded.
Kim Jong Un has been photographed and seen in public many times since March 28, The Telegraph noted.
Some are concerned for the fate of Kim’s wife because he has had many people, even family members, executed for crossing him. Jang Sung Taek, Kim’s uncle, was executed in 2013, and his nephew was reportedly burned alive with a flame thrower. The dictator also executed a top official with an anti-aircraft gun after he fell asleep in a meeting.
Unsubstantiated rumors reported in the Telegraph stated Ri was close to Jang Sung Taek before his execution.