The life of Ri Sol-ju, the wife of North Korea's leader, and that of her daughter, Kim Ju-ae, is vastly different from the reality of most people in the country. Ri has a love for luxury. Her closet is filled with Italian Red Valentino coats, Christian Dior bags, and Tiffany accessories, and she often wears Swiss luxury watches. In public, she has been photographed wearing a Movado watch and a Dior coat. Tiffany is also known to be one of her favorites.
Ri Sol-ju and her family also spend time at their private villa in Wonsan, Gangwon Province, which features a marina for water sports such as sailing and jet skiing, and a private train and station for traveling to the villa. The lavish lifestyle enjoyed by the family of the North Korean leader starkly contrasts with the hardships faced by many North Koreans. The country is marked by one of the most dramatic disparities between the rich and the poor, and it also grapples with severe food shortages. While many North Koreans face starvation, the Kim family enjoys the finest foods on a daily basis.
The family of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is known to spend over $10 million a year on luxury goods, all of which are smuggled in, in violation of U.S. sanctions. These extravagances highlight an affluence that is in stark contrast to North Korea's stringent regime. Their penchant for luxury goods directly contradicts Kim Jong-un's usual rhetoric. Since 2013, he has condemned this fondness for imported goods as an 'import disease' and has urged his people to refrain from using them. The extravagant lifestyle of the leader's family juxtaposed with the suffering of the North Korean people underscores a fundamental problem within the country