Ri Sol-ju, the beautiful and fashionable wife of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un, hasn't been seen in public for over seven months, sparking a wave of speculation about her fate.

South Korean media said an analysis of North Korean media revealed the wife and mother of Kim's only child -- a daughter, Kim Ju-ae born 2012 -- reveal Ri's last appeared in public on March 28 when she accompanied Kim on a visit to a new commercial district and health complex in Pyongyang, capital of North Korea.

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Ri was reported to have accompanied Kim 18 times in 2012; 22 times in 2013 and 15 times in 2014. That number, however, plunged to seven in 2015 and three this year, according to the analysis.

Speculation about Ri's whereabouts center on three possibilities: she's had a falling out with Kim and they've separated; she's pregnant once again or, more, ominously Ri has run afoul of Kim's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, who is widely believed to be calling the shots in North Korea.

"Ri showed up at public events every two months last year but has not appeared in public for over seven months this year. That's quite extraordinary," said a North Korea watcher.

"Some sources speculate Ri's disappearance may be linked to a check on her activities by Kim's younger sister Kim Yo-jong."

Yo-jong, 29, is rumored to be more ruthless than her ruthless brother, who had a government official that fell asleep at one of Kim's meetings executed by anti-aircraft guns. The same brutal method of execution was used in the murder of their uncle, Jang Sung-taek, China's closest ally in Kim's inner circle.

It's been said Ri and Yo-jong aren't exactly enemies but both women can't get along together given their diametrically opposite personalities.

It's believed Ri Sol-ju is not her real name but is being used to conceal her identity. Ri is known to have a taste for expensive Western baubles and high fashion, and has appeared expensively dressed at important events. In contrast, Yo-jong dresses in the bland, Spartan fashion of a North Korean bureaucrat.

What is known about Kim's sister is scant but startling. She is an unwed mother who gave birth some time in 2015.

Her lover has not been identified but is rumored to be either a fellow alumnus of Kim Il-sung Military University or a co-worker at the military unit responsible for guarding the her elder brother, who is 32 years old. There was speculation she married in 2015, but this report has since been verified as untrue.

Yo-jong wields massive political power, however. She heads North Korea's Propaganda and Agitation Department (PAD) and is in charge of developing her brother's cult of personality.

She was first spotted in a photo taken at the 3rd Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea in September 2010 when she stood next to her father's (Kim Jong-il) personal secretary and alleged mistress, Kim Ok.

Last March, Kim launched another matchmaking contest in order to find a "suitable husband" for Yo-jong.

There were tough requirements to win Yo-jong.  This man must be at least 178 cm tall; have served in the Korean People's Army and has graduated from or is studying at Kim Il-sung Military University. 

But the most shocking "requirement" is that this man "cannot have a tiny penis like the rest of Koreans." Statistics show North Koreans have, on average, the smallest penis' in the world: 3.2 inches erect.

It was the second time Kim tried this approach. A similar pitch in 2012 failed. Needless to day, this latest one also did.

Yo-jong remains a single parent searching for a husband.

TagsRi Sol Ju, Kim Jong Un, Kim Ju-ae, Kim Yo Jong, North Korea