Many women were linked to Kim Jong Il, but few had any influence
Many women were linked to Kim Jong Il, but few had any influence
The late North Korean leader reportedly took countless lovers, but most were relegated to background status. The few women whose intimacy with the strongman endured included his longtime partner, Ko Young Hee, mother of his handpicked successor, Kim Jong Un.
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In 1967, Kim Young-soon was a dancer in Pyongyang, North Korea, when her best friend visited with crazy news.
"I'm going to live in the 5th House," announced Sung Hye Rim, then a noted North Korean actress, Kim recalled. She was referring to the residence of Kim Jong Il, the crown prince of the Hermit Kingdom, leader in waiting behind his powerful father, Kim Il Sung. To Kim Young-soon, the sudden romance seemed like some perverse fairy tale with little chance of a happy ending.
Worse, the actress was already married.
"I said, 'What about your husband?' But she didn't answer," Kim, a Seoul resident who defected from North Korea a decade ago, said in a recent interview. "So I didn't question her any more."
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Photo of Sung Hye Rim and Khmer Princess Norodom Monique Sihanouk
So'ng Hye-rim (Song Hye-rim) | North Korea Leadership Watch