It is now seven months ever since the wife to North Korean leader was last seen in public and speculation is rising.
Fears are that she may have fallen out of favor with either the leader of the communist state or the family.
The other speculation is that she may be pregnant and will give birth to the heir of Kim Jong Un in case the baby is a boy.
Other experts who have maintained a keen eye on the situation believe that that the First Lady, Ri Sol-ju, might have had a row with Jong-un’s younger sister, Kim Yo-jong.
Recent times have seen Yo-jong continuously be associated with the throne.
Last year, she was appointed to be head North Korea’s Propaganda and Agitation Department. This is a government segment that is in control of how people view the dictatorial leader.
According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap News, Ri Sol-ju – who was first introduced as the First Lady in 2012 – was last seen on a tour of a new commercial district and health complex in Pyongyang on March 28.
As all this is happening, Kim Jong-un still makes long tours all over the country.
A Waseda University lecturer, Toshimitsu Shigemura, who analyses the North Korean leadership said that the disappearance of the wife may have been triggered by a number of factors. Some of the include the possibility of her being pregnant or the two not getting along well.
“There have also been reports of instability in Pyongyang and even of several attempted attacks, including by factions in the North Korean military, against Kim last year,” he said. If it is so, then she has not come out to the public due to heavy protection.
The professor explains that Kim lacks political ability while the First Lady knows the logistics required to ensure his powers are maintained.
This is not the first time these speculations have occurred. In 2012, Yong-Ri last disappeared from the public’s gaze, making citizens and analysts to come up with a number of speculations.
When whereabouts of her were made in 2013 by Dennis Rodman, ex-US basketball star, it emerged she had given birth to a baby girl.
But Kim Jong Un is also credited for being a no-nonsense leader. He executed his uncle Jang Sung-taek after he was accused of treason. The execution went on dispite them being close.