Ri Sol Ju Appears in Public After 18 Months...Wears Pants and Carries a 'Gucci Bag'

Participation in the Completion of Wonsan Kalma Tourist Area
Kim Jong Un: "One of the Greatest Achievements of the Year"

Ri Sol Ju, the wife of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un, made her first public appearance in about 18 months. On June 26, Yonhap News Agency, citing the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), reported that Chairman Kim attended the completion ceremony of the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area in Gangwon Province two days earlier. In photographs released by KCNA, Kim Jong Un and his daughter Kim Ju Ae are seen standing in the center, with Ri Sol Ju also present.

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un attended the completion ceremony of the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area on the 24th, accompanied by his wife Ri Sol Ju and daughter Ju Ae. Ri's public appearance was the first in about a year and a half, and she was seen carrying a black handbag presumed to be from the Italian luxury brand Gucci (red circle). Photo by Yonhap News Agency

This is Ri Sol Ju's first public appearance in about a year and a half, since she attended the New Year's celebration performance in January of last year. On this occasion, Ri Sol Ju wore a white top and black pants, standing on the outer side while placing Chairman Kim and their daughter in the center, deliberately putting them in the spotlight. Although Ri Sol Ju drew attention in 2012 as the first woman among North Korea's elite to be publicly seen wearing pants, she has not been frequently seen in such attire since then.

In particular, since the New Year's celebration performance on January 1, 2024, North Korean media have refrained from featuring Ri Sol Ju, instead focusing on highlighting Kim Ju Ae. Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's younger sister and Vice Department Director of the Workers' Party, also kept her distance, staying with the working-level staff and assisting her brother's family. In fact, Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui stood closer to Kim Jong Un than Kim Yo Jong did, hosting distinguished guests such as Alexander Matsegora, the Russian ambassador to North Korea.

After cutting the ribbon at the completion ceremony, Kim Jong Un toured various sites within the tourist area, including the Myeongsashimni outdoor water park and the Galma Moranbongryeogwan, together with party and government officials. At the event, Kim Jong Un expressed his satisfaction, stating that "a long-cherished project, into which much effort has been invested over a long period, has finally become a magnificent reality," and described it as "one of the most remarkable achievements of the year, which will be recorded as a fulfillment of the decisions made at the 8th Party Congress." He went on to emphasize that the tourism industry "not only promotes the blossoming and development of the cultural sector, but also drives the revitalization of the region and contributes to the overall growth of the national economy." He further assessed that "the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area is a proud first step in implementing the Party and government's policy on cultural tourism development."

Meanwhile, North Korea has established hotels and inns with a combined accommodation capacity of 20,000 people in the area, as well as beach service facilities, various sports and entertainment facilities, and commercial and catering service facilities. According to KCNA, the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area will begin serving domestic guests starting July 1. It is presumed that, after initially accepting North Korean residents as guests, the authorities plan to attract foreign tourists, including Russian visitors.