Kim Ok (Korean: 김옥; born 28 August 1964) is a former North Korean government employee who served asKim Jong Il's personal secretary from the 1980s until his death in 2011.[1] After the death ofKo Yong Hui in August 2004, she regularly met with foreign officials as thede factofirst lady of North Korea, and was rumored to be thesupreme leader's fourth wife.[2]
Kim Ok was born in 1964.[3] Her father was Kim Hyo, a criminal accused of committing several war crimes and killing a thousand horses.[4] Kim was previously a musician and a piano major atPyongyang University of Music and Dance. She joined Kim Jong Il's management in 1987.[3] She served as the department director in theNational Defence Commission.[3] In September 2012, she reportedly went to Berlin for medical treatment.[5]
After Kim Jong Il's death, she was presented with theOrder of Kim Jong Il for services in building a "thriving socialist nation", along with 131 other individuals.[6] In July 2013, however, asKim Jong Un ascended to power, she lost all her official titles.[4]
In early July 2016, the US government–fundedRadio Free Asia reported that Kim had been purged and sent to alabour camp.[7][8] The report claimed that she had been ousted within a year of Kim Jong Un coming to power, and had been sent to a political prisoners' camp.[7]
^To keep the tree of manageable size, it omits five out of the seven known legitimate children of Kim Il Sung. Other children not shown in the tree are:Kim Man-il (1944-1947; child ofKim Jong-suk), Kim Kyong-jin (1952-; child ofKim Song-ae), Kim Yong-il (1955-2000; child of Kim Song-ae), and Kim Kyong-suk (1951-; child of Kim Song-ae). A stillborn daughter is also omitted. Kim Il Sung was reported to have had other children with women who he was not married to; they included Kim Hyŏn-nam (born 1972). Also, only some of the descendants of Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un (Kim Il Sung's successors) are included.
^Korean names often have a variety of transliterations into English, which can be confusing. For example, "Kim Jong Chul" may also be written "Gim Jeong-cheol" or "Kim Jŏng-ch'ŏl" among many other variations. SeeKorean romanization for more information.
^Official North Korean biographies of Kim Jong Il list his birth year as 1942. TheKorean calendar is based upon theChinese zodiac which is believed to characterize one's personality. The year 1942 (Year of the Horse), in addition to being 30 years since Kim Il Sung's birth may be viewed as a better year than others, thus creating a motive to lie about a birth year.
^Official North Korean biographies of Kim Jong Un list his birth year as 1982. TheKorean calendar is based upon theChinese zodiac which is believed to characterize one's personality. The year 1982 (Year of the Dog), in addition to being 70 years since Kim Il Sung's birth, may be viewed as a better year than others, thus creating a motive to lie about a birth year.
^Birth year for Kim Ju Ae is not publicly known. She may have been born in either late 2012 or early 2013.
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