Kim Jong-suk (; 24 December 1917Suh Dae-sook. Kim Il Sung: The North Korean Leader. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988. – 22 September 1949) was a

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

n revolutionary, anti-Japanese guerrilla,

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

activist, the first wife of North Korean leader

Kim Il Sung Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader from North Korea#Founding, its establishm ...

, the mother of former leader

Kim Jong Il Kim Jong Il (born Yuri Kim; 16 February 1941 or 1942 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader of North Korea from Death and state funeral of Kim Il Sung, the de ...

and grandmother of current leader

Kim Jong Un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...

Biography

Kim Jong-suk was born on 24 December 1917 in

Hoeryong Hoeryŏng () is a city in North Hamgyong Province, North Korea. It is located opposite Jilin Province, China, with the Tumen River in between. Sanhe, Longjing, Sanhe (三合鎮), in Longjing, Jilin, Longjing City, is the closest Chinese town across ...

County, Kankyōhoku-dō,

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

(now in

North Hamgyong Province North Hamgyong Province (Hamgyŏngbukdo, ) is the northernmost province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Hamgyong Province. Geography The province is bordered by China (Jilin) to the north, S ...

, North Korea). Lintner, Bertil. Great Leader, Dear Leader: Demystifying North Korea under the Kim Clan. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books, 2005. Suh Dae-sook writes that she was "the elder of two daughters of a poor farmer." However, the

Korean Central News Agency The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) () is the state news agency of North Korea. The agency portrays the views of the North Korean government for both domestic and foreign consumption. It was established on December 5, 1946, and now features ...

(KCNA), states that she had a younger brother, Kim Ki-song (), who was born 9 February 1921. Kim Jong-suk followed her mother to

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

to look for her father, but they discovered that he had already died there. Soon after that, her mother died and she became an orphan. Most sources agree that Kim Jong-suk then joined

's guerrilla force in 1935 or 1936Post, Jerold M. Leaders and Their Followers in a Dangerous World: The Psychology of Political Behavior. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2004. as a kitchen helper. The KCNA, however, reports that Kim Jong-suk and Kim Ki-song joined the guerrilla forces after their mother and their elder brother's wife were murdered by the Japanese. During this time, Kim Jong-suk worked various odd jobs, and was arrested by the Japanese in 1937 in an undercover attempt to secure food and supplies. After her release, she rejoined the guerrillas, where she cooked, sewed, and washed. It was around this time that Kim Jong-suk reportedly saved Kim Il Sung's life.

Baik Bong Baik Bong () is a North Korean author known for writing the official biography of Kim Il Sung. Biography of Kim Il Sung The first comprehensive biography of Kim Il Sung was published in Korean in North Korea in 1968. It was called ''Minjogŭi t ...

relates the story in Kim Il Sung's official biography: Kim Jeong Suk 2

Kim Jong-suk married Kim Il Sung in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, most likely in 1941. On 16 February 1941 ''Rogue Regime: Kim Jong Il and the Looming Threat of North Korea''
Jasper Becker, Oxford University Press, 2005, pages 48, 91–92. (or 1942, sources vary), in the Soviet village of Vyatskoye, Kim Jong-suk had

, who was given the Russian name "Yuri Irsenovich Kim," and the nickname "Yura." In 1944, Kim Jong-suk had Kim Man-il, in Korean and "Alexander" or "Shura" in Russian. In 1946, she gave birth to a daughter, Kim Kyŏng-hŭi. Augustina Vardugina, a woman from Vyatskoye, was in her teens when Kim Il Sung's guerrilla group camped there. She remembers Kim Jong-suk, and how she would come to the village to barter military rations for chicken and eggs. Her son, Kim Jong Il, would be holding her hand. A year after the establishment of North Korea and until her death, Kim Jong-suk was the first lady. According to some accounts, Kim Jong-suk "was a small, quiet woman, not particularly well educated, but friendly and life-loving." Lankov, Andrei. From Stalin to Kim Il Sung: The Formation of North Korea 1945–1960. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2002. Major General N.G. Lebedev, an executive Soviet officer during the Soviet occupation of North Korea, recalled Kim Jong-suk as "a vivacious and generous lady who always cooked enormous amounts of food for the hungry Soviet generals when they visited Kim's home."

Death

In commentary on one edition of Kim Il Sung's official autobiography, ''With the Century'', it is stated that she died of an

ectopic pregnancy Ectopic pregnancy is a complication of pregnancy in which the embryo attaches outside the uterus. Signs and symptoms classically include abdominal pain and vaginal bleeding, but fewer than 50 percent of affected women have both of these sympto ...

on September 22, 1949. According to Harrold, she died from "the hardships she had endured during the years as a guerrilla fighter."Harrold, Michael. Comrades and Strangers: Behind the Closed Doors of North Korea. London: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2004.

Legacy

After Kim Jong Il succeeded Kim Il Sung, he began to make his mother, Kim Jong-suk, into "a revolutionary immortal."French, Paul. North Korea: The Paranoid Peninsula — A Modern History. London: Zed Books, 2007. This campaign created "a holy trinity known as the 'Three Generals' f Paektu Mountain">Paektu_Mountain.html" ;"title="f Paektu Mountain">f Paektu Mountain. Instead of touting Kim Jong-suk as the quiet woman that she was, she became the heroine of the revolution. The website of the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front">National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) says she was "a peerless heroine ... an anti-Japanese heroine ... a faithful retainer who faithfully carried out General Kim Il Sung's [Kim Il Sung] will but also a lifeguard who safeguarded the General of every dangerous movement." Kim Jong-suk was recorded to have "conducted on-the-spot guidance sessions" and was a "great strategist". In her home town of Hoeryong, "a museum, a library, a statue, a square and the house in which she was born" are "devoted to the 'Mother of Korea'". She arranged parachute training and won several shooting competitions. One story says that she would wash Kim Il Sung's socks and dry them in her bosom, or cut her hair and spread it in Kim Il Sung's shoes. Michael Harrold, in his memoir '' Comrades and Strangers'', relates several stories he heard about Kim Jong-suk while in North Korea. According to him, there is a memorial near

Mount Kumgang Mount Kumgang () or the Kumgang Mountains is a mountain massif, with a peak, in Kangwon-do, North Korea. It is located on the east coast of the country, in Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, formerly part of Kangwŏn Province, and is part of the ...

that marks where Kim Jong-suk stopped "when she realized she had forgotten to bring the great leader's lunch, and had turned back to prepare something to eat for when he returned from the mountains." Kim Jong-suk is also credited with inspiring Kim Jong Il to build the

Ryugyong Hotel The Ryugyong Hotel (; sometimes spelled as Ryu-Gyong Hotel), or Yu-Kyung Hotel, is a tall unfinished pyramid-shaped skyscraper in Pyongyang, North Korea. Its name ( "capital of willows") is also one of the historical names for Pyongyang. The ...

. Harrold relates that Kim Jong-suk told a young Kim Jong Il that he "must build tall buildings for the people, of 30 or even 40 stories," and the son replied that he would build housing 100 stories high. This led to the construction of the 105-story Ryugyong Hotel, which is still not opened. On 1 June 2015, the

Daily NK ''Daily NK'' () is an online newspaper based in Seoul, South Korea, where it reports on various aspects of North Korean society from information obtained from inside and outside of North Korea via a network of informants. North Korea is ranked 17 ...

reported that Kim Jong-suk's wedding ring had gone missing from Pyongyang's Korean Revolution Museum sometime in late May. Items belonging to key figures of the Kim family are of great importance. In 2010, state television aired a show dedicated to the story behind the ring, which was, purportedly, given to her by Kim Il Sung in 1938 for her role in the anti-Japanese guerrilla movement. Many places in North Korea are named after her, including Kimjongsuk County, Kim Jong Suk Naval Academy, Kim Jong-suk Teacher Training College, Kim Jong-suk Rest Home, and Kim Jong-suk Pyongyang Silk Mill.

In North Korean News

In North Korean News The KCNA regularly reports on Kim Jong-suk, either honoring her memory or describing her revolutionary activities. The following are headlines from articles relating to Kim Jong-suk from 2012: *National Meeting on International Women's Day Held: "Kim Jong-suk, an anti-Japanese war hero, upheld the original idea and policy of Kim Il Sung and performed distinguished feats in the development of the movement for women's emancipation in Korea." (8 March 2012) *Wax Replica of Kim Jong-suk Displayed: "A hall housing a wax replica of the anti-Japanese war hero, Kim Jong-suk, was opened at the

International Friendship Exhibition The International Friendship Exhibition is a large museum complex located at Myohyangsan, North Pyongan Province, North Korea. It is a collection of halls that house gifts presented to former leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il from various forei ...

House in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Tuesday." (26 April 2012) *Wax sculpture dedicated to great woman: "She carried out secret political tasks assigned by Kim Il Sung" and "She brought up Kim Jong Il as the Shining Star of Mt. Paektu to maintain the lifeline of the Korean revolution." Government officials Kim Ki Nam, Secretary of WPK Choe Thea Bok, Yang Hyong Sop, and KPA General Pak Jae Gyong made statements at the dedication. Zhang Molei, Director of the ''Great Man Wax Museum of China'' also made a speech. (5 May 2012) *Moran Hill Associated with Patriotic Will of Peerlessly Great Persons: "On March 2, 1946 President Kim Il Sung, leader Kim Jong Il and woman commander of Mt. Paektu Kim Jong-suk mounted the hill together." (17 June 2012) *Collection of Music Anecdotes "Mother and Song" Published: "The collection contains four parts of 95 anecdotes about anti-Japanese war hero Kim Jong-suk who struggled, regarding songs as a mighty treasured sword along with arms of the revolution and an appendix of music of relevant songs." (18 July 2012) *Pujon Revolutionary Battle Site of DPRK Introduced by ITAR-TASS: The events of the Pujon Revolutionary Battle Site, "where Kim Jong-suk, a model of devotedly defending the leader, waged revolutionary activities." (7 August 2012) *Kim Jong-suk's Life Lauded by Foreign Organizations: "A Brazilian organization and a regional body posted special write-ups on their Internet websites on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of the passing of Kim Jong-suk, anti-Japanese war hero." (2 October 2012)

Awards

Hero of the Republic, 21 September 1972 ''(posthumous)'' * DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class

Order of the National Flag (1st Class with Neck Chain)

Notes and references

Notes

References

Works cited

* *

External links

로동신문 - 김정숙,전세계녀성들의 귀감

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Jong-suk 1917 births 1949 deaths People from Hoeryong Korean resistance members First ladies of North Korea Women in war in East Asia Korean revolutionaries Kim family (North Korea) Korean communists Korean expatriates in the Soviet Union Women in war 1900–1945 20th-century North Korean women politicians 20th-century North Korean politicians Heroes of the Republic (North Korea) Deaths in childbirth People of 88th Separate Rifle Brigade Korean women independence activists Burials at the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery