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.[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 Jong 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 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. Archived from the original on November 13, 2025. 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. Archived from the original on December 20, 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. Archived from the original on September 15, 2025. 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. Archived from the original on January 17, 2025. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  9. ^ "North Korea: Kim Jong-un's aunt 'lives American Dream'". BBC. May 28, 2016. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  10. ^ "Kim Jong-un's aunt runs dry-cleaner in US: report". Taipei Times. May 29, 2016. Archived from the original on November 11, 2025. 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. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. 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. Archived from the original on November 18, 2025. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  15. ^ "Kim Jong-un's aunt sues defectors in South Korea". BBC. December 2, 2015. Archived from the original on October 15, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2025.


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