Kim Ok
Kim Ok | |
|---|---|
 Kim in 2000 | |
| Born | 28 August 1964 |
| Partner | Kim Jong Il (2004–2011) |
| Korean name | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 김옥 |
| Hancha | 金玉 |
| Revised Romanization | Gim Ok |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Ok |
Kim Ok (Korean: 김옥; born 28 August 1964) is a former North Korean government employee who served as Kim Jong Il's personal secretary from the 1980s until his death in 2011.[1] After the death of Ko Yong Hui in August 2004, she regularly met with foreign officials as the de facto first lady of North Korea, and was rumored to be the supreme leader's fourth wife.[2]
Biography
Kim Ok was born in 1964.[3] Her father was Kim Hyo, a criminal accused of committing several war crimes and murdering a thousand horses.[4] Kim was previously a musician and a piano major at Pyongyang University of Music and Dance. She joined Kim Jong Il's management in 1987.[3] She served as the department director in the National 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 the Order of Kim Jong Il for services in building a "thriving socialist nation", along with 131 other individuals.[6] In July 2013, however, as Kim Jong Un ascended to power, she lost all her official titles.[4]
In early July 2016, the US government–funded Radio Free Asia reported that Kim had been purged and sent to a labour 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]
References
- ^ Chung, Min-uck (19 December 2011). "What is future for Kim Ok?". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012.
- ^ "Kim's long-time secretary is New Korean 'first lady'". South China Morning Post. 24 July 2006. Front page.
- ^ a b c "Kim Ok". North Korea Leadership Watch. 14 February 2012. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
- ^ a b Andrei Lankov (4 July 2013). "Did Kim Jong Un purge his father's widow, Kim Ok?". NK News. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
- ^ "Kim Jong-il's Widow Had Treatment in Berlin". The Chosun Ilbo. 10 September 2012.
- ^ "North Korea awards 132 medals to commemorate Kim Jong-il's birthday". The Daily Telegraph. 14 February 2012.
- ^ a b ""김정일 넷째 부인 김옥 숙청…수용소로 보내져"". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). 26 July 2016.
- ^ Kim Myong-song (27 July 2016). "Kim Jong-il's Widow Sent to Prison Camp". Chosun. Retrieved 14 February 2017.