Talk:Ko Yong-hui

Birth year / age
If she was born in 1953, and she moved from Japan to North Korea in 1961, then she wasn't 11 years old when she moved to North Korea. — Preceding unsigned comment added by CopperSquare (talk • contribs) 05:45, 4 January 2012 (UTC)

Third before second?
"In 1981 Ko gave birth to Kim Jong-il's third child, Kim Jong-chul. Their second child, Kim Jong-un followed two years later." How is that even possible? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mverleg (talk • contribs) 12:46, 8 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Ko was not Kim's first wife. Kim Jong-il's first child was with Song Hye-rim (son Kim Jong-nam b. 1971). With Kim Young-sook, he had Kim Sul-song (daughter b. 1974). And only then Kim Jong-il had Jong-chul, which made it his third child, but Ko's first child. Thus, Ko and Kim's second was Jong-un.  Maxim (talk)  14:27, 8 January 2012 (UTC)

Japanese mother?
The biography section currently leads with:

"Ko was born in Ikuno, Osaka, Japan, to a Korean father and a Japanese mother."

This claim is further repeated and the premise of the "Cult of personality" section:

"Under North Korea's songbun ascribed status system, Ko's Korean-Japanese heritage would make her part of the lowest "hostile" class."

The only source I could find that makes this claim is this article from DailyNK: http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00400&num=9418

However, another piece cited here (the citation for the first sentence of the bio section no less) comes from the Asia-Pacific Journal: http://apjjf.org/2011/9/1/Mark-Selden/3465/article.html This discusses her origins in Osaka's Tsuruhashi district, and although her mother is only briefly mentioned, all implications suggest she was an ethnic Korean as well. The article describes the thriving community of Korean nationals then-located in Tsuruhashi. It goes on to discuss the family's move to North Korea via a repatriation program. Now, how in the world would a Japanese woman (and her half-Japanese daughter) be "repatriated" to North Korea by the Japanese government? That doesn't add up. Furthermore, this piece from BBC, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3203523.stm, states "Little is known about her, except that she was born in Japan to ethnic Koreans and is said to have caught Kim Jong-il's eye while working in a state dance troupe." Pretty clear cut there.

Keep in mind that if the claim that Ko's mother was Japanese is true, that would mean Kim Jong Un is 1/4 Japanese. Curiously, that is not mentioned in his article, nor is it claimed anywhere else by any source. Don't you think such a fact would be relevant and reported/discussed somewhere?

So this claim is very dubious, to say the least, and should be removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 65.244.122.241 (talk) 20:26, 21 February 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
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External links modified
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Undiscussed move
See User talk:GreatLeader1945. I'm unconvinced about the undiscussed move to "Ko Yong Hui" made by @GreatLeader1945. It could very well be the right move, but don't think the rationale was valid. I'm going to start undoing the move. toobigtokale (talk) 05:32, 14 February 2024 (UTC)


 * GreatLeader1945 moved it back again without discussion. That goes against WP:RMUM. Clearly at least one person (me) challenges the move, so it should go to a move discussion and not a unilateral move. toobigtokale (talk) 19:26, 24 March 2024 (UTC)