Kim Young-soon
Kim Young-soon | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kim Young-soon 1937 (age 88–89) |
| Other names | Kim Yung-sun |
| Alma mater | Pyongyang Arts University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1950 - present |
| Children | 4 |
Kim Young-soon (Korean: 김영순; born 1937 in Shenyang, China) is a North Korean defector, human rights activist, dancer, and choreographer.[1] She is known for surviving a nine-year imprisonment in the Yodok political prison camp and later speaking out about human rights abuses in North Korea.[1] Her story gained international attention through her memoir, public testimonies, and the musical Yodok Story, which was based on her experiences.[2][3]
Early life and career
Kim Young-soon was born in Shenyang, Manchuria, in 1937, and moved to Korea when she was eight years old.[1] Her family was part of the North Korean elite due to her older brother being a revered general in the Workers' Party.[1] Growing up in this environment, her family occasionally received gifts from Kim Il-sung and attended cultural events.[1]
She pursued a career in dance, studying under the renowned dancer Choi Seung-hee at Pyongyang Arts University.[1] After graduating, she became a celebrated dancer and later a choreographer, serving for 13 years in the Korean People's Army Performance Troupe.[1] She eventually reached the rank of lieutenant.[1]
She was also a close friend and high school classmate of actress Song Hye-rim, who became the secret mistress of Kim Jong-il, a fact hidden even from Kim Il-sung because Sung was a divorced woman and five years older than Kim Jong-il.[4]
Personal life
Kim Young-soon was married and had four children: three sons and one daughter.[5][6] After her release from the camp, in a desperate attempt to give her daughter a better chance at life, Kim gave her up for adoption to a farming family.[7]
Imprisonment in Yodok
In August 1970, Kim Young-soon was arrested without being charged with a crime.[6] The actual reason, which she would not discover until years later, was her knowledge of the clandestine relationship between her friend Song Hye-rim and Kim Jong-il.[6] Knowing such a sensitive secret was considered a threat to the Kim dynasty's security.[6]
Kim was sent to the notorious Yodok No. 15 political prison camp.[6] Under North Korea's policy of guilt-by-association, her parents, husband, and four children were also imprisoned. The conditions in the camp were brutal, involving hard labor, malnutrition, and a complete lack of human rights.[6]
During her nine years in the camp (1970–1979), her parents died of starvation and her infant son died due to the harsh conditions.[6] Her 23-year-old son was shot and killed in 1989 while trying to escape to China after their release.[6] Her husband was sent to a different prison camp and never seen again.[1]
Defection and Activism
Kim was released in 1979 at the age of 43 through the intervention of a military official who knew her war hero brother.[6] For the next 19 years, she lived under constant surveillance.[6] In 1982, security agents summoned her and explicitly warned her against spreading "groundless rumors" about Sung Hye-rim and Kim Jong-il, confirming the reason for her past imprisonment.[6]
Convinced she had to escape, she fled North Korea in 2001 by bribing her way across the Tumen River into China.[6] After spending two and a half years hiding in China, she traveled through Southeast Asia and successfully defected to South Korea in 2003 with her surviving son.[6]
In South Korea, Kim became a vocal human rights activist.[6] She has shared her testimony globally, including at the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK and before the U.S. Congress.[6] She has held several leadership positions in human rights organizations, such as president of the Association of North Korean Defector Artists.[6]
Kim published an autobiography in 2008 (or 2009) titled I Was Sung Hye-rim's Friend.[1] Her life story also inspired the 2006 musical Yodok Story, for which she served as a choreographer.[6] In 2018, she was one of eight North Korean escapees invited to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.[1]
Today, she continues to work as a dance instructor, directing the Choi Seung-hee Dance Education Institute in Seoul to preserve the legacy of her mentor.[1][6]
Awards and nominations
- Certificate of Appreciation from the Chairman of the Korean Traditional Culture and Arts Association (2023)
Books
- Autobiography - I Was Sung Hye-rim's Friend
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Kim Young-soon". The Jüdische Kulturbund Project. November 17, 2025.
- ^ "Remarks in a Meeting With North Korean Defectors and an Exchange With Reporters". The American Presidency Project. May 2, 2025.
- ^ "Nine years in N. Korea gulag to keep a secret". Fox News. February 19, 2025.
- ^ "North Korean defector says Kim Jong Il stole her life". Los Angeles Times. October 28, 2025.
- ^ "North Korean defectors to testify in parliament". CSW UK. September 6, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Jailed For Ties to Kim Mistress". Radio Free Asia. March 6, 2009.
- ^ "Kim Young-soon - North Korean Defector". www.northkoreanchristian.com. December 4, 2025.