Kim Young-sook
Kim Young-sook (김영숙; born 1947) was the third wife of Kim Jong-il.[1] She was the daughter of a high-ranking military official, and was a switchboard operator in North Hamgyong Province before moving to Pyongyang.[2] Kim Jong-il's father, Kim Il-sung, handpicked her to marry his son.[2] The two had been estranged for some years before his death. Kim Young-sook had a daughter from this marriage, Kim Sol-song (born 1974). She was First Lady of North Korea from 8 July 1994 to 17 December 2011, when her husband died.
Kim Young-sook | |
---|---|
김영숙 | |
Born | 1947 (age 73–74) |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | Kim Sol-song |
Korean name | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | 김영숙 |
Hancha | 金英淑 |
Revised Romanization | Gim Yeongsuk |
McCune–Reischauer | Kim Yŏngsuk |
Song Hye-rang, the sister of Kim Jong-il's second wife Song Hye-rim, mentioned that she is "insignificant to Kim Jong-il, apart from being a legitimate wife in front of Kim Il-sung. She did not even have an identity card in North Korea" as noted in her memoir Rattan house.[3]
References
- Kennedy, Helen (19 January 2003). "A REAL-LIFE DR. EVIL N. Korea's Kim a caricature of tyranny". New York Daily News. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
- Glionna, John M. (24 December 2011). "Many women were linked to Kim Jong Il, but few had any influence". Los Angeles Times. Seoul. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
- "金正日的男女关系 导致许多无辜的牺牲 (Paragraph 6)". 18 August 2007.