including potential energy assistance. And China, for its part, started to loosen sanctions implementation, and some reports indicated that North Korean laborers were being allowed to return to China, in potential violation of U.N. sanctions. For the first time, Kim in early May 2018 hosted the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, who pledged Beijing’s support for North Korea’s focus on economic development and the resolution of Pyongyang’s “legitimate security concerns,” reinforcing Kim’s confidence that he still had China’s backing. Moreover, Kim’s metamorphosis from “Rocket Man” to international statesman fueled hopes among the South Korean public and in the United States that he is “sincere.” Kim almost certainly relished the favorable media attention, as his trustworthiness among South Koreans soared to an astonishing 78 percent after the inter-Korean summit in April, according to a Korea Research Center poll; it had been a dismal 10 percent earlier in 2018. His reported sense of humor, his show of deference to President Moon, and his self-deprecation as evidenced in the televised inter-Korean summit—he reportedly told Moon “I feel embarrassed about [North Korea’s] poor transit infrastructure”—also engendered hope that Kim was no longer a blustery dictator but a chastened, humble young man who wanted to do the right thing.
The ensuing months showed how much Kim could abruptly change the dynamic in East Asia and constrain U.S. options by exploiting underlying fissures in the U.S.–South Korean relationship and manipulate the national priorities of regional stakeholders to his advantage. He would successfully alter his image from a stern and unyielding dictator threatening nuclear strikes to a smiling, approachable young man whom some held up as a transformational figure with the potential to make history. And he would get help in doing so, not just from President Moon but also from his wife, Ri Sol Ju.
When Moon Jae-in sat down with Kim Jong Un in that forest glade during their first inter-Korean summit, Kim appeared to be in listening mode, paying close attention to Moon’s comments. South Korean media consulted lip-readers who noted that the two appeared to mention “Trump,” “nuclear facilities,” and “the United States” the most. But things got personal as well, as the two sides sought to build rapport. “Father looked at me and told me to marry that woman,” Kim reportedly said, “so I trusted him.” It was a moment of extraordinary candor, given Kim Il Sung’s and Kim Jong Il’s preference and practice of keeping their personal lives hidden and the details of their family members shrouded in mystery. Perhaps Kim’s comment was calculated to build rapport and intimacy with President Moon. He also might have talked about his wife during this conversation to introduce Ri Sol Ju in anticipation of that evening’s banquet in which both wives would be present.
Ri’s presence at the summit in April 2018 and subsequent meetings with Moon and Chinese president Xi Jinping suggest that Kim sees her as another component of his power. As the First Lady of Pyongyang, she has personified the charm in the proverbial North Korean charm offensive, normalizing Kim’s status not just as a leader of a nuclear power but as a husband, father, and legitimate ruler on a par with the likes of Presidents Xi, Moon, and Trump. The carefully curated public appearances of Ri Sol Ju—who keeps her maiden name, per Korean custom—provide the regime with a softer side, a thin veneer of style and good humor to mask the brutality, starvation, and deprivation endured by the people, while reports about the existence of possibly multiple children hint at the couple’s fecundity and the potential for the birth of another male heir to the Kim family dynasty. For the toiling masses as well as for the elite, Ri, the glamorous and devoted wife, is an aspirational figure. For outside scholars, Ri’s public appearances offer something else—a glimpse of an emerging material and consumer culture, which Kim seems to be actively promoting. Thus, Kim’s showcasing of his wife indicates that she serves both a domestic and an external purpose, and is consistent with his desire to portray himself as a modern leader.
THE WOMAN IN BLACK. AND GREEN. AND PINK. AND BLUE.
Just seven months after Kim Jong Un became leader of North Korea, the regime’s state news agency published photos of Kim at a concert with a mysterious woman. The concert, which included North Korean pop stars and Disney characters, was a surprising choice and sparked optimism that Kim was more Westernized than his reclusive father and might be inclined toward opening