Kim Jong Un and his new wife Ri Sol-ju on a visit to a pre-school

The Daily Banter headline grab (from the BBC):

North Korean state media have confirmed for the first time that the country’s leader Kim Jong-un is married.

Reports referred to him attending the opening of an amusement park with his wife, “Comrade Ri Sol-ju”.

There had been much speculation about Mr Kim’s private life in recent weeks when an unidentified woman was pictured attending events with him.

Kim Jong-un took over as leader of the country after the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December last year.

The eight-minute report on North Korean radio which mentioned Ms Ri was broadcast at 20:00 local time on Wednesday (11:00 GMT).

Analysts have been watching Mr Kim and his inner circle for clues as to the direction in which they will take the isolated state.

Last week authorities performed a military reshuffle widely interpreted by analysts as an attempt to stamp the authority of the new leader on North Korea’s powerful army.

The United States wished Mr Kim well, but said that its concern was ”first and foremost” for the North Korean people and hopes that ”conditions for them will improve”.

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Dire news from the hermit kingdom:

Humanitarian groups fear that the death of Kim Jong-il could worsen North Korea's dire food situation, after the US postponed a decision on potential aid.

The country has relied on foreign supplies since the devastating famine of the mid-90s killed hundreds of thousands of people. But the World Food Programme (WFP) and NGOs have warned that the situation is particularly bleak this year.

Aid groups warned that North Koreans would die from malnutrition within months unless donations increased. The WFP launched an emergency programme in April, but has received less than a third of the funding it needs.

The US is clearly sending a message to the new leader, Kim Jong-un, that he must engage more positively on denuclearizing the region. While this is certainly a noble objective, the means will have dire consequences and saving human lives should take priority. The people of North Korea have suffered enough – there's no need to make their miserable lives worse for the sake of power politics.

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