Kim turns spotlight on wife, sister to soften image

TOKYO — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be trying out a new tactic to boost the image of his authoritarian regime — he’s putting the spotlight on the women in his life.

Over the past few months, Kim has increasingly shared the stage with his younger sister, who became an instant celebrity as his envoy to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, and his wife, a former singer in her late 20s.

For sure, there is only one star of the show in North Korea, and that is Kim himself.

But the greater public role for sister Kim Yo Jong and wife Ri Sol Ju comes as Kim is embarking on a “charm offensive” — a series of summits and diplomatic moves that have significantly raised his international profile. The timing suggests he’s hoping to change the optics of his regime, if not its iron-fisted domestic policies, by presenting a softer face to the outside world.

The new look may be on display again later this month, when Kim is to sit down for his first summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. South Korean media suggest Kim is planning to bring his wife to the April 27 meeting on the south side of the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two nations.

If he does, it would be in keeping with the North’s new normal.

Ri accompanied Kim on his surprise trip to China for a summit with President Xi Jinping last month and was seen looking quite stylish as she beamed beside him at state functions. After Moon, Kim is scheduled to meet with President Trump in May or June, raising the possibility of a clickbait bonanza — Ri meeting her U.S. counterpart, Melania Trump.

Ri is poised, comfortable in the limelight and usually dressed in expensive outfits. She trained in the performing arts from a young age, singing with the Unhasu Orchestra before she and Kim married, reportedly in 2009 or 2010, the year before Kim assumed power.

Kim’s younger sister, meanwhile, has also entered the stage in a big way.

Her coming-out party came in February, when she became the first member of the North’s Kim dynasty to travel to South Korea, for the opening ceremony of the Olympics. She quickly proceeded to steal the show, looking almost regal as she held court with South Korean President Moon and other international dignitaries.