S. Korean first lady meets N. Korean female leaders, not her counterpart

Yonhap
10/2/2007

South Korean First Lady Kwon Yang-suk might have found herself in a rather awkward position on the first day of the inter-Korean summit due to the absence of her official counterpart.

The North’s reclusive leader, Kim Jong-il, showed up at Pyongyang Square by himself to greet President Roh Moo-hyun and Kwon, disappointing South Korean and Western media, which expected to get a glimpse of Kim’s current spouse and successor of the world’s only communist dynasty.

There is no clear information available on Kim’s marital history, but he is said to have lived with a total of four women: Kim Young-suk, Song Hye-rim, Ko Young-hee, and Kim Ok.

Song is the mother of Kim’s oldest son, Jong-nam, while Ko is the mother of Jong-chul and Jong-un. One of Kim’s three children is widely expected to replace him as the ruler of the tightly-controlled regime.

Kim has never been accompanied by his wife at a diplomatic occasion, including the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000.

Instead of meeting with the North Korean first lady, the visiting South Korean first lady spent Tuesday afternoon meeting with several leaders in North Korean women’s circles.

Share

Comments are closed.