A pop star known as “North Korean Lana Del Rey” has been seen with Kim Jong-un, sparking rumours that she is his secret partner and has given birth to his child. Hyon Song-wol, who left her position in North Korea’s leading girl group, the Moranbong Band, now works in the dictator’s personal secretariat.
Last week, she was spotted with Kim in Pyongyang, where she was focused on her phone while other aides took notes. According to a retired spymaster, their relationship goes beyond professional and they have a child together.
Kim Jong-un was seen with former singer Hyon Song-wol, who according to a former South Korean spy is the North Korean leader’s secret lover.
Kim Jong-un also has a legitimate son with his wife
Choe Su-yong, a former member of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), claimed that Kim Jong-un’s illegitimate child is named Kim Il-bong. Choe recently informed the Korea Times that Kim Jong-un also has a legitimate son with his wife, Ri Sol-ju, but the child is deemed too “pale and thin” for public exposure.
In an interview with the Chosun Ilbo newspaper, Choe highlighted the difference between the two half-brothers. He stated, “The illegitimate son, Kim Il-bong, is sturdy, but the first son born to Kim’s wife is skinny to the extent of being described in North Korean terms as pitiful.”
According to the former spy, Kim Jong-un met Hyon Song-wol while studying in Switzerland. Choe claimed that Hyon initially served as a caretaker for Kim and his sister, Kim Yo-jong, but their relationship evolved after their return to North Korea.
Kim’s father and predecessor, Kim Jong-il, disapproved of the match and ordered him to break it off, according to a South Korean report from 2012. But after his father’s death, “the son is thought to have rekindled the relationship,” the report said.
Michael Madden, founder of North Korea Leadership Watch, said there was good reason to believe that the duo first bonded in Switzerland. He said: “One thing we can say, I think, with a fairly good degree of confidence in its accuracy, is that they had a close relationship when he was studying in Switzerland. What ended up happening was that members of these elite performing arts troupes went and sort of lived in the house with them and looked after and took care of them. There’s a very good chance that Hyon Song-wol might have resided with Kim Jong-un and Kim Yo-jong when they lived in Switzerland, or she might have gone to visit them. We can say pretty reliably that they have a very close relationship.”
Hyon is approximately seven years older than Kim Jong-un
Michael Madden, a fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC, noted that rumours about a love child involving Hyon Song-wol date back to 2012 when she performed on stage while pregnant. Although he is sceptical of these rumours, he believes there could have been a historical relationship between the two. Madden questioned the credibility of the rumours, stating, “If Hyon Song-wol has a love child and is a mistress, that would bring scandal to Kim Jong-un, right? “So why would he be bringing her out in any kind of public capacity?”
He continued: “The one thing I have heard that might have a degree of credibility because it’s more nuanced, is there’s a rumour that Hyon Song-wol might have taken Kim Jong-un’s virginity.”
Madden estimated that Hyon is approximately seven years older than Kim Jong-un and would have had a high-security clearance due to her music career, which would have required her to perform at exclusive, secret functions.
Describing her status, Madden said, “She’s an elite singer/pop star in North Korea. I’ve likened her to Lana Del Rey.” Today she is a deputy director in the state’s Propaganda and Agitation Department, though her real job is working directly under the dictator.
Madden explained, “She works for Kim Jong-un’s personal secretariat. The personal secretariat is equivalent to the Prime Minister’s staff that works in Number 10 Downing Street that’s not part of the civil service. She coordinates his schedule, protocol, security arrangements, things like that. She also seems to play a very, very large role in North Korean television events and media packaging.”