Ko Yong Suk

In this Korean name, the family name is Ko.

Ko Yong Suk (Korean: 고용석; born 1958) is the aunt of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Her elder sister, Ko Yong-hui, was the mistress of Kim Jong Il and mother of Kim Jong Un. Ko Yong Suk defected to the United States in 1998.[1] Ko looks very much like her elder sister.[2] She took care of Kim Jong Un and his sister in Switzerland and settled into a middle-class quiet life in America.

Pre-defection

Ko's first son and Kim Jong Un were playmates from birth in North Korea, born the same year, 1984.[3] She says this son and Kim Jong Un are the same age and born in 1984. She changed both their diapers.[4] Ko stated that even as a young child Kim Jong Un showed personality traits such as defiance of parents, intolerance, hunger strikes, and a short temper that would later become stronger and that he knew at age 8 he would one day rule North Korea.[3] Even generals bowed down to him at the young age of 8.[1][5] Ko and her family arrived in Switzerland in 1992 and Kim Jong Un in 1996 and they took care of him again, as well as his sister Kim Yo Jong.[3][6]

Defection and later life

Kim Jong Un handpicked Ri Gang to marry Ko. Ri Gang is also known as Pak Kun.[7] The couple would go on summer vacations with Kim Jonh Il and other relatives.[8] Ko and her husband, Ri Gang, contacted the American Embassy in Bern, Switzerland to defect in 1998. They were taken to an American military base in Frankfurt and debriefed for months.[3][9] The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) helped them and gave them $280,000 to buy a house in New York.[4][10] The house is several hours drive from New York City.[11] The family defected because of the cruelty they saw in the North Korean regime and they were concerned what would happen when Kim Jong Il died, leaving them without a direct connection to North Korea's ruler.[12] They run a dry cleaning business.[1] In order to protect them the family lives under assumed names and the city they live in is kept secret.[4] The couple has two sons and one daughter, all educated professionals.[12][13] The eldest son is a mathematician, the other son helps with the family business, and the daughter works in computer science. None of them are interested in Korea, North nor South.[14] The CIA still visits them from time to time to ask them things like to identify people in photographs.[13]

In 2015 Ko sued three defectors who "spread false stories" about her. The allegedly false claims are about her and Ri having plastic surgery after defecting, having Kim Jong Un's half-brother expelled from North Korea, and managing a secret fund for Kim Jong Il.[6] She sought damages of 60 million won ($51,600 USD) in a South Korean court.[12][15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Aunt Of Kim Jong Un Has Secretly Lived In The U.S. For 18 Years". GQ Australia. May 31, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  2. ^ "Kim Jong Un's Aunt lives in New York and runs a dry cleaning business". Irish Examiner. May 28, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d "Kim Jong Un's long-lost US-based aunt". Deutsche Welle. May 28, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "The secret American life of Kim Jong Un's aunt Ko Yong Suk". News Australia. May 28, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  5. ^ "N.K. leader's aunt living in U.S. recalls life in Pyongyang". Yonhap News. May 28, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Kim Jong-un's aunt sues defectors for spreading 'false information'". The Guaradian. December 2, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  7. ^ Madden, Michael (December 15, 2015). "Keeping Up with the Kim Family Runaways (has photo of Ko)". 38 North. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  8. ^ Dickson, Caitlin (May 27, 2016). "Kim Jong Un's aunt speaks up after 18 years of silence in the U.S." Yahoo News. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  9. ^ "North Korea: Kim Jong-un's aunt 'lives American Dream'". BBC. May 28, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  10. ^ "Kim Jong-un's aunt runs dry-cleaner in US: report". Taipei Times. May 29, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  11. ^ "Kim's aunt 'runs dry-cleaner in US'". Arab News via Agence France Presse. May 29, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c "I defected after seeing North Korea regime 'cruelty', says Kim Jong-un's uncle". The Guardian. December 10, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Berenson Rogers, Tessa (May 27, 2016). "Kim Jong Un's Aunt Secretly Lives In The United States". Time. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  14. ^ Cocoli, Isabela (May 27, 2016). "Aunt of N. Korea's Kim Jong Un Has Lived Secretly in US for 18 Years". Voice of America. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  15. ^ "Kim Jong-un's aunt sues defectors in South Korea". BBC. December 2, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2025.


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