Hyon Song-wol

Hyon was a vocalist for the Wangjaesan Light Music Band and Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble. Her biggest hit was the song "Excellent Horse-like Lady", a 1999 song extolling the virtues of a Stakhanovite textile factory worker. The accompanying music video stars Hyon in the role of "the heroine, dashing around a sparkling factory with a beatific smile, distributing bobbins and collecting swatches of cloth at top speed." == Marriage and rumors of involvement with Kim Jong Un ==

Hyon disappeared from public view in 2006 when, according to reports in the Japanese media, she married a North Korean army officer with whom she had a child. In early July 2012, public interest in Kim Jong Un's personal life increased when Korean Central Television, North Korea's state-run media station, released footage of Kim sitting next to a then-unidentified woman who frequently appeared with him in public events. South Korean intelligence officials initially identified the woman as Hyon. However, on 25 July 2012, North Korean media announced that the woman was Ri Sol-ju. On 16 November 2023, The Korea Times published an article in which Choe Su-yong, a former official at the National Intelligence Service (NIS), alleges that Hyon is the mother of Kim Jong Un's eldest child. Choe also alleges that this child is a son known as Il-bong. == Execution rumor ==

On 29 August 2013, South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo reported that Hyon had been executed by firing squad on the orders of Kim Jong Un, along with 11 other performers, including violinist Mun Kyong-jin, both of whom had allegedly made illegal pornographic videos. According to a source quoted by the newspaper, "They were executed with machine guns while the key members of the Unhasu Orchestra, the Wangjaesan Light Music Band and the Moranbong Band as well as the families of the victims looked on". Pyongyang's state news agency KCNA denied claims that the singer was executed, and a Japanese news magazine reported that she was seen subsequently. On 16 May 2014, Hyon appeared on North Korean television participating in the National Convention of Artists. However, at the time, some theorized that the government may have used an older video to make it seem as though she were still alive. == Later career ==

Hyon is the leader of the Moranbong Band and of the Samjiyon Orchestra. In December 2015, Hyon travelled to Beijing to perform with the Moranbong Band in a series of private concerts. In 2017, she was appointed to the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. She participated in talks with South Korea to prepare for North Korea's participation in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. During the Games, she organized concerts by North Korean performers. Hyon's visibility in North Korean politics increased in 2020, when she made multiple appearances, including her inspection of typhoon-ravaged areas with Kim Jong Un, in the country. She was re-elected to the Central Committee at the 8th Congress of the WPK. ==See also==