Kim Family
Kim Chong-il and Kim Kyong-hui with Kim Il-song (C) for an official photo in the 1960s
This page will address the genealogy and biographical data of Kim Jong Il’s family. Information about KJI’s family is more closely held than information about the DPRK Leadership. Information about the families of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il is below the images.
Graphic charts of the Kim Family are also available at the following:
Chosun Ilbo
Children of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Suk
Kim Jong Il (Kim Cho’ng-il) (born 1941)
Kim P’yo’ng-il (Kim Pyong Il) (born 1944-died 1947)
Kim Kyo’ng-hu’i (Kim Kyong Hui) (born 1946)
Children of Kim Il Sung and Kim So’ng-ae
Kim Kyo’ng-chin (Kim Kyong Jin) (born 1951)
Kim P’yo’ng-il (Kim Pyong Il) (born 1954)
Kim Yo’ng-il* (Kim Yong Il) (1955-2000)
Kim Jong Il’s Wives
Kim Ok (Kim Cho’ng-il’s current wife)
Kim Cho’ng-il’s Children
Kim Hye-kyo’ng (born 1968)
Kim Cho’ng-nam (Kim Jong Nam) (born 1971)
Kim So’l-song (Kim Sul Song) (born 1974)
Kim Ch’un-song (Kim Chun Song) (born ca. 1977)
Kim Cho’ng-ch’ol (Kim Jong Chol) (born 1981)
Kim Cho’ng-u’n (Kim Jong Un) (born 1983)
Kim Yo’-cho’ng (Kim Yo Jong) (born 1989)
Information below as of 18 August 2010
Kim Il Sung’s Family
Kim Il Sung is known to have had six children with two wives.
He met his first wife, Kim Jong-suk in 1935. She joined his guerilla unit in 1936 as a cook and domestic help and, on one occasion, saved his life. Kim Jong-suk and Kim Il Sung married while residing at a Soviet military base in Siberia. In February 1941, Kim Jong-suk gave birth to Kim Jong Il (also known as Yura) in Khabarovsk. In 1944 she gave birth to Kim Pyong-il (also known as Shura).
In 1945, Kim Jong-suk returned to North Korea via Unggi, North Hamgyong, escorted by Jo Myong-rok (now KPA Vice Marshal and current Senior Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission) and Jon Mun-sop (Chairman of the National Inspection Commission until his 1998 death). Jo and Jon allegedly carried Yura and Shura on their backs. Kim Jong-suk and her two sons resided in North Hamgyong until December 1945 before moving to Pyongyang after Kim Il Sung had taken control of the Workers’ Party.
Kim Jong-suk resided at the official residence established for Kim Il Sung by the Soviet Civil Authorities, the former home of the Japanese proconsul. In May 1946, she gave birth to daughter Kim Kyong-hui. In 1947 Pyong-il drowned in a swimming accident at the family residence in Pyongyang (the current Party Founding Museum). Kim Jong-suk was the country’s first lady, hosting dinners for the Soviet military officers and other authorities, as well as appearing at official occasions, and attending to the care of war orphans in Pyongyang. Already disposed to frail health, owing to her participation in the guerilla campaigns, Kim Jong-suk passed away in September 1949 due to complications while giving birth.
Kim Il Sung’s surviving children, Jong Il and Kyong-hui, left Pyongyang during the outbreak of the Korean (or Victorious Fatherland Liberation) War, residing first in Jagang Province (in the country’s northwest) and later Jilin, China. Around 1952, Kim Il Sung married his second wife Kim Song-ae. Kim Song-ae was his technical secretary, as well as a domestic assistant who had cared for Jong Il and Kyong-hui.
Kim Il Sung and Kim Song-ae had three children. In 1953, their first daughter, Kim Kyong-jin, was born. She was followed by two brothers, Kim Pyong-il, who was born in 1954, and Kim Yong-il who born in 1957 but died from cirrhosis in 2000. Kim Song-ae was active in political life, eventually becoming the Chairwoman of the Korean Democratic Women’s Union, a position she held until 1998.
In the early 1970’s Kim Song-ae began a political turfwar with Kim Jong Il, putting forward her son Pyong Il as hereditary successor. She instigated a propaganda campaign that glorified Kang Pan-sok, Kim Il Sung’s mother. This campaign also included the excision of Kim Jong-suk from official histories. Kim Song-ae and her brothers offended the former guerilla fighters, when she restricted their access to money and perks. As Kim Jong Il gradually took control of the party in the 1970’s he managed to undercut Kim Song-ae. In cooperation with the guerilla fighters, he purged her brothers and other political supporter from their positions.
As the official anointment of Kim Jong Il’s succession at the Sixth Party Congress in 1980 drew closer, Kim Song-ae’s children were gradually exiled from the DPRK. Daughter Kim Kyong-jin currently resides in Vienna, Austria, as the wife of DPRK Ambassador to Austria Kim Kwang-sop, with whom she has a daughter.
Middle child Kim Pyong-il, who served in Kim Il Sung’s personal security escort, became a military attache in eastern Europe and an ambassador in several countries in central and east Europe. Since 1998 he has served as the country’s ambassador to Poland. He is married with a son, Kim In-kang and a daughter, Kim Un-song, who is said to be married to a KPA general-grade officer.
Youngest son Kim Yong-il, worked on segment of the country’s nuclear program as an engineer, passed away in 2000, having lived in central and east Europe for several years.
In exiling his step-siblings from the country, Kim Jong Il disenfranchised them from Pyongyang political life. In diplomatic positions, they are also subjected to the monitoring of the State Security Department, which is believed to manage security for the country’s diplomatic personnel. It has been alleged in defector reporting that Kim Song-ae was placed under house arrest at the Jamo Mountain Chalet in Pyongsong, after Kim Il Sung passed away in 1994.
All of these activities were related to Kim Jong Il creating dichotomy of Kim Family offspring. The children and descendents of the marriage between Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong-suk were the so-called won kaji, the main, or central, branch. The children of Kim Song-ae, as well as children born from Kim Il Sung’s alleged dalliances, were the so-called kyot kaji, the extra, or side, branch
Kim Jong Il’s Family
Kim Jong Il has seven children with four wives, or significant consorts. Kim Jong Il reportedly has one official wife, Kim Yong-suk, who is considered official because it was a relationship of which Kim Il Sung approved.
Kim Jong Il’s first child, Kim Hye-kyong, was born in 1968 to Hong Il-chon. Ms. Hong was Kim Jong Il’s college girlfriend and is currently the President of the Kim Hyong-jik University of Education in east Pyongyang. Kim Hye-kyong was educated at the Namsan Senior High School, although her current position and whereabouts are unknown.
In the late 1960’s Kim Jong Il began an affair with Song Hye-rim, a married actress four years older than him whom he met in his work at the Korea Film Studio. In 1971, Ms. Song gave birth to Kim Jong-nam, his oldest son. Kim Jong-nam was raised in Pyongyang primarily by his maternal aunt, the writer and memoirist Song Hye-rang. In the early 1980’s Kim Jong-nam moved to Geneva, Switzerland and lived under the care of DPRK diplorep and KJI classmate, Ri Chol.
Song Hye-rim was exiled from North Korea and resided in Europe and Russia, before she passed away in 2002. Kim Jong-nam has residences in Pyongyang and China. He works in Kim Jong Il’s Personal Secretariat. He has six children with three different women. These are the only known grandchildren of Kim Jong Il. Kim Jong-nam routinely interacts with ROK tourists visiting China, and gives occasional media interviews. Kim Jong Nam has numerous personal and social ties to DPRK elites, both those inside the country and those residing overseas in Asia and Europe. He also has ties to the sons of former Chinese President, Jiang Zemin.
Around 1973, Kim Jong Il met Kim Yong-suk. Ms. Kim was the daughter of a KPA general-grade officer and a secretary to the political director of the Ministry of Public Security in North Hamgyong Province. In 1974, Kim Yong-suk gave birth to Kim Jong Il’s second daughter, Kim Sul-song. Around 1976, Kim Yong-suk gave birth to Kim Jong Il’s third daughter, Kim Chun-song. Both daughters were named by Kim Il Sung. Kim Chun-song’s current activities are not known. Kim Sul-song works in Kim Jong Il’s Personal Secretariat, holding several positions. She has escorted her father on trips to Russia and China, and she took graduate-level courses in France in 2005.
In the mid 1970s Kim Jong Il met a dancer in the Mansudae Art Troupe named Ko Yong-hui. Ms. Ko was the daughter of a Japanese professional wrestler who repatriated to Korea in the 1960’s. Around 1980, Kim Jong Il reportedly established a household with her and in 1981 she gave birth to his second son, Kim Jong-chol. In 1983, she gave birth to Kim Jong Il’s youngest son Kim Jong-un. In 1989 she gave birth to Kim Jong Il’s youngest known child, daughter Kim Yo-chong.
Ko Yong-hui was reportedly Kim Jong Il’s favorite wife. She was petite (4’10). She could prepare his favorite snacks. It is possible that she earned his respect. According to Kenji Fujimoto, Ms. Ko did not suffer Kim Jong Il’s bouts of despondency and histrionics, and had a calming effect on her husband’s mood. Ko Yong-hui was close to Kim Kyong-hui, the late Secretary of Reunification Kim Yong-sun, and most especially to her husband’s aides in the Personal Secretariat, particularly the late Ri Je-gang. Ko Yong-hui passed away in 2004 while receiving medical treatment in France.
Both of Ko Yong-hui’s sons have been groomed as successors. Like Kim Jong-nam, Jong-chol and Jong-un studied in Switzerland. While they were under the care of the DPRK Ambassador Ri Chol, they attended the International School of Berne. Jong-chol and Jong-un have studied at Kim Il Sung Military University. Kim Yo-chong also studied in Berne. Given her age (20) she might currently be a student at Kim Il Sung University.
Kim Jong-chol and Kim Jong-un have both been rumored as hereditary successors. There have been oblique propaganda campaigns conducted in the North Korean press and reports of glorification campaigns in the Korean People’s Army. These publicity efforts were aimed at advancing one of Kim Jong Il’s sons with Ko Yong-hui. For a number of years Kim Jong-chol was the rumored successor. However, he does not have any interest in politics, and may have removed himself from consideration. Kim Jong-chol works in the CC KWP Propaganda and Agitation Department. Kim Jong Un has been designated by Kim Jong Il as hereditary successor.
See also:
Choi, Un-hi and Shin, Sang-ok. Cho kuk un cho hanul cho moli New York: Koryo Books, 1988
Gause, Ken. “The North Korean Leadership: System Dynamics and Fault Lines” in DPRK Policy Elites (Kongdan Oh Hassig, ed.) Alexandria, VA: Institute for Defense Analyses, 2004.
Fujimoto, Kenji and Shin, Hyon-ho. Kim Chŏng-il ŭi yorisa. Seoul: Wolgan Chosonsa, 2003.
Levi, Nicolas. “A Biography of Kim Pyong Il: A Second Dapuhin?” Parallax. Fall 2010 Issue forthcoming
Lim, Jae-Cheon. Kim Jong Il’s Leadership of North Korea London: Routledge, 2009
Mansourov, Alexandre Y. “Inside North Korea’s Blackbox: Reversing the Optics” DPRK Policy Elites (Kongdan Oh Hassig, ed.) Alexandria, VA: Institute for Defense Analyses, 2004.
Song, Hye-rang. Tungnamu chip. Seoul: Chisik Nara, 2000.
