Kim Young-sook
Wife of Kim Jong-il, ruler of North Korea
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The basics
Quick Facts
| Intro | Wife of Kim Jong-il, ruler of North Korea | ||||
| A.K.A. | 김영숙 金英淑 Kim Yeong-suk | ||||
| A.K.A. | 김영숙 金英淑 Kim Yeong-suk | ||||
| Places | North Korea | ||||
| is | Ruler | ||||
| Work field | Military | ||||
| Gender |
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| Birth | 1 January 1947, North Korea | ||||
| Age | 78 years | ||||
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The details
Biography
Kim Young-sook (Hangul: 김영숙; Hanja: 金英淑, born 1947) was the third wife of Kim Jong-il. She was the daughter of a high-ranking military official, and was a switchboard operator in North Hamgyong Province before moving to Pyongyang. Kim Jong-il's father, Kim Il-Sung, handpicked her to marry his son. The two had been estranged for some years before his death. Kim Young-sook had a daughter from this marriage, Kim Sul-song (born 1974). She was First Lady of North Korea from 1994 to late 2011.
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 didn't even have an identity card in North Korea" as noted in her memoir Rattan house.