Kim Kyung-hiu
Kim Kyung-hiu | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1947 (age 78–79) |
| Spouse(s) | Jang Song-thaek |
Kim Kyung-hee was a daughter of Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea's Kim family.[1] She and her husband, Jang Song-thaek, held top administration positions, for most of their lives.
In 1975, after living with mistress Song Hye-rim for most of eight years, her brother Kim Jong-il moved on to Ko Young-hui.[2] He relied on Kim Kyung-hiu to kick out his old mistress, and to seize Kim Jong-nam, the son she bore him. Song subsequently had a nervous breakdown, from which she never seems to have fully recovered.
Kim Kyung-hiu gave birth to a daughter, Jang Kum-song, in 1977.[3] In 2006 her daughter was an international student, in Paris, where she killed herself after her parents forced her to end a love affair.
When her young nephen Kim Jong-un succeeded her brother Kim Jong-il, in 2011, commentators suggested she and her husband would serve as mentors for him, until Kim Jong-un accused her husband of corruption, and had him execcutred with a burst from an anti-aircraft cannon.[1]
In 2014 a defector reported Kim Kyung-hiu was also dead.[1] She was said to have dropped dead, of a stroke, while arguing on the telephone, with her nephew Kim Jong-un, about his execution of her husband. However, when she sat at beside Kim and his wife at a ceremonial event, in January 2020, commentators noted she was still alive.[4]
In May, 2025, a YouTuber who focusses their videos on North Korean politics, claimed that Kim Kung-hiu had been an abusive spouse, and humiliated her husband, Jang Song-Thaek, for decades.[3]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Faith Karimi; Jung-eun Kim; Judy Kwon (2014-11-28). "Aunt of North Korean leader died after her husband was executed, defector says". CNN. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
- ↑
"The Anatomy of Kim Jong Il". Daily NK English. 2005-08-14. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
So, Kim Kyung Hee, Kim’s younger sister who notices his concerns, visits to see Sung Hye Lim and directly says to her, “As you have already been married to your husband with a child, and you are older than my brother, you do not deserve to stay at the residence. I will take Kim Jong Nam, and you must leave.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1
"He Was Abused by North Korea's Princess — Then He Took Revenge". The Untold y Tony via YouTube. 2025-05-25. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
He married into North Korea’s royal family — but behind the title of “princess” was a woman who humiliated him for years. What started as survival turned into silent revenge. This is the true story of Jang Song-thaek — and how he became the most feared man in North Korea.
- ↑
Jung Da-min (2020-01-27). "Kim Jong-un's aunt makes 1st public appearance in 6 years". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
Kim Kyong-hui, the aunt of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a once-influential figure in the country's leadership, has made her first public appearance in six years, quashing rumors that she had been killed or sent into exile. She had been out of the public eye since her husband Jang Song-thaek was executed in December 2013.