Michael Roberts

As Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, it is a bit eerie the parallels that could be made between the Kim Jung-um portrayed in the North Korean press releases and the Christ Child.  So, in the spirit of the Gospel of Matthew, I thought I would trace his lineage.  Mind you, it is much simpler as we only need to go back two generations and not all the way back to Abraham.

The Supreme Leader and founder of the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea was Kim Il-sung.  He and his wife Kim Jong-sook fathered the Dear Leader Kim Jong-il and his sister Kim Kyung-hee.  Kim Kyung-hee married the now very powerful Jang Song-taek (장성택, written Chang Song-taek in the BBC chart).  It is expected that Jang Song-taek will play a very crucial leadership role. 

Kim Jong-il had four wives from which he had four children, though none from his current widow.  From his first wife, Sung Hae-rim, he fathered Kim Jung-nam.  Until he was caught trying to sneak into Japan to visit Disney Land in 2001, Jung-nam, as the first born son, was the natural heir to the dynasty.  From his second wife, Kim Young-sook, Kim Jung-il had one daughter.

Kim Jung-il’s third wife, Ko Young-hui, is thought to have been his favourite.  Thus, it is not surprising that one of her sons has risen to heir apparent.  However, much mystery surrounds her.  In fact, it is somewhat surprising that the propaganda machine has not created a myth to exalt her to the “Mary” like status they did for Kim Jong-il’s mother.  It could be that they want to hide Ko’s family background.  Ko Young-hui was born in Japan to a father who originated from Jeju Island (an island in the southern part of South Korea).  Her father brought his family back to North Korea from Japan in the 1960s.  Such returnees from Japan are often looked down upon in North Korea.

 Kim Jung-il and Ko Young-hui fathered Kim Jung-chul (his name on BBC chart is not spelled correctly) and Kim Jung-un.  The older son, Jong-chul, is thought to be too unhealthy and mentally weak to have been chosen as the successor.  Thus, the youngest son, Kim Jong-un has emerged as the Great Successor.

As a cultural note, you will notice that all three boys have “Jung” as the first syllable of their given name.  It is quite normal in Korean culture for all male brothers and parental cousins to share the same first syllable in their given name. 

(Source:  BBC)

This post is the fourth installment of a 4-part series on North Korea in the wake of Kim Jung-il’s death. You can read the first part here, the second part here, and the third part here.