Kim Jong-un wife’s fashion sense a hit with China’s public
North Korean first lady Ri Sol-ju wins plaudits from social media users who compare her to popular South Korean celebrities
North Korea’s first lady has become an instant hit in China with her fashionable looks after accompanying her husband Kim Jong-un in a surprise visit to China, while Chinese internet censors quickly cracked down on discussions of her looks and dresses.
Ri Sol-ju, the mysterious young wife of the totalitarian leader and a former star singer, was filmed by state television in at least three different outfits during their two-day stay in Beijing.
William Tang Tat-chi, a Hong Kong fashion designer, said the style was “subtle” but not conservative.
The Beijing visit was a rare public appearance by Ri in a diplomatic setting as she has mainly been seen at domestic events.
The visit to China was the first overseas trip by both Kim and Ri since the North Korean leader came to power in 2011 and came ahead of a planned summit with US President Donald Trump.
Many Chinese internet users praised Ri’s looks and compared her style to that of Peng Liyuan, China’s first lady, before censors rolled on to remove nearly all discussions from social media platforms.
“Ri Sol-ju is indeed beautiful and amiable. I can tell she would be good at ‘first-lady diplomacy’, better than Kim’s sister,” one internet user commented on Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter.