Kim Pyong Il | |
|---|---|
김평일 | |
 Kim in 2010 | |
| North Korea Ambassador to the Czech Republic | |
| In office 2015–2019 | |
| Supreme Leader | Kim Jong Un |
| Preceded by | Pak Hyon-bo |
| Succeeded by | Ju Won-chol |
| North Korea Ambassador to Poland | |
| In office 1998–2015 | |
| Supreme Leader | Kim Jong Il Kim Jong Un |
| Preceded by | Paek Nam-sun |
| Succeeded by | Geun Ri |
| North Korea Ambassador to Finland | |
| In office 1994–1998 | |
| Supreme Leader | Kim Il Sung Kim Jong Il |
| Preceded by | Choe Sang-bom |
| Succeeded by | post not filled |
| North Korea Ambassador to Bulgaria | |
| In office 1989–1994 | |
| Supreme Leader | Kim Il Sung |
| North Korea Ambassador to Hungary | |
| In office 1988–1989 | |
| Supreme Leader | Kim Il Sung |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1954-08-10)10 August 1954 (age 70) Pyongyang, North Korea[1] |
| Political party | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Kim In-kang Kim Ung-song |
| Parent(s) | Kim Il Sung (father) Kim Song-ae (mother) |
| Relatives | Kim family |
| Alma mater | Kim Il Sung University |
| Occupation | DPRK battalion commander former DPRK ambassador to Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland, Poland and the Czech Republic |
| Korean name | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 김평일 |
| Hancha | 金平日 |
| Revised Romanization | Gim Pyeong-il |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim P'yŏng'il |
| [1] | |
Kim Pyong Il (Korean:김평일,Korean pronunciation:[kim.pʰjɔŋ.il]; born 10 August 1954) is the younger paternal half-brother of the late leader ofNorth Korea,Kim Jong Il, and the only surviving son of former leader andpresident of North KoreaKim Il Sung.[2] He worked as a diplomat and lived overseas between 1979 and 2019,[3][4] serving in various diplomatic positions such as ambassador of North Korea toHungary,Bulgaria,Finland,Poland, and theCzech Republic.[5][6]
Kim is the son of Kim Il Sung andKim Song-ae, Kim Il Sung's former secretary. Kim had one younger brother, Yong-il,[a] and one older half-sister,Kyong-hui, who would go on to marry senior officialChang Sung-taek.[7] He was named after another son with the same name, who was born inVyatskoye in 1944; that son, also known asShura Kim, allegedly drowned inPyongyang in 1947.[8] He graduated fromKim Il Sung University with a major in economics, and later attended theKim Il Sung Military University, following which he was appointed a battalion commander.[2]
Kim Pyong Il's rivalry with half-brother Kim Jong Il goes back to the 1970s. In those days, Kim Pyong Il was known as a womaniser who threw raucous parties; sometimes, attendees at these parties would shout, "Long live Kim Pyong Il!". Kim Jong Il knew that this could be portrayed as a threat to thecult of personality surrounding their father Kim Il Sung, and reported the matter; Kim Il Sung was reportedly infuriated, and thus Kim Pyong Il fell out of favour with his father while Kim Jong Il strengthened his position.[9]
Kim Pyong Il married Kim Sun-kum, a woman with family connections to theMinistry of Public Security, in 1982.[10] They have a son, Kim In-kang, and a daughter, Kim Ung-song.[11]
In 1979, Kim began a series of diplomatic postings to several countries inEurope so that he could not influence politics in his home country. His first overseas assignment was in theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.[2] He was promoted to the position of ambassador to thePeople's Republic of Hungary in 1988, but was transferred to thePeople's Republic of Bulgaria in response toHungary's opening of diplomatic relations with South Korea in 1989. This was followed by a posting inFinland.[12][13]
In 1998, after North Korea closed its embassy in Finland to save money and preventdefections, Kim was posted toPoland. His ambassadorship was initially suggested to be in limbo, as nine months after his posting he had yet to formally present his credentials to thePolish president.[14] However, he remained as ambassador in Poland, and his daughter Kim Eun-song and son Kim In-kang went on to attend university in Poland.[2] He was a rare sight inWarsaw'sdiplomatic community, only occasionally appearing at functions held by the Algerian, Russian and Syrian embassies.[9]
In 2015, he was transferred to theCzech Republic. He later returned to North Korea in November 2019 after stepping down as North Korea's ambassador to the Czech Republic.[5] In January 2020, Ju Won Chol, a former Director General of theNorth Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Second European Department,[5] replaced Kim as North Korea's Czech Republic ambassador.[6]
Kim Pyong Il reportedly continued to be considered a threat to the North Korean government due to his resemblance to his father Kim Il Sung. Reports claim he is under watch by both North and South Korean intelligence. However, he has kept a low profile, in contrast to his half-nephewKim Jong-nam who gave frequent interviews with Japanese media, before he wasassassinated inKuala Lumpur in 2017.[9][15][16][17]
In July 2011, Kim was reported by South Korean media to be back in Pyongyang for a visit. Some sources claimed he was under house arrest there since May, though others speculated he was just visiting his dying motherKim Song-ae or preparing to observe the anniversary of his father's death.[18]
In December 2011, South Korean officials said Kim Pyong Il was in Poland and would not attendKim Jong Il's funeral. Kim Pyong Il and Kim Song-ae attended thefuneral of Kim Il Sung in 1994, but North Korean television broadcasts deleted their images.[19]
In June 2019, Kim Pyong Il visited North Korea for reported medical reasons.[20] In November 2019, Kim Pyong Il returned to North Korea after retiring from a long career as a foreign diplomat.[5] He had not lived in either Pyongyang or the rest of his native country since 1979.[4][21] As a result, his return to North Korea following his retirement as a foreign diplomat also marked his return to being a North Korean resident for the first time in 40 years.[4]
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