Tall tales: How Kim Il Sung’s wife became the paragon of North Korean womanhood



Analysis Tall tales: How Kim Il Sung’s wife became the paragon of North Korean womanhood Kim Jong Suk is held up as the perfect mother, wife and revolutionary in state propaganda, despite her unassuming life Tatiana Gabroussenko December 24, 2024 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON A propaganda mural of Kim Jong Suk holding Kim Jong Il and standing beside Kim Il Sung \| Image: Eric Lafforgue In the hagiography of North Korea’s ruling family, the former male leaders occupy the place of gods, their portraits plastered in every home and statues towering over public squares. But Kim Jong Suk, the wife of Kim Il Sung and mother of Kim Jong Il, has played a different role in this "Paektu lineage,” held up not as a semi-divine figure beyond the reach of the common people but as a role model for all North Korean women to emulate. In the hagiography of North Korea’s ruling family, the former male leaders occupy the place of gods, their portraits plastered in every home and statues towering over public squares. But Kim Jong Suk, the wife of Kim Il Sung and mother of Kim Jong Il, has played a different role in this "Paektu lineage,” held up not as a semi-divine figure beyond the reach of the common people but as a role model for all North Korean women to emulate. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Analysis

Tall tales: How Kim Il Sung’s wife became the paragon of North Korean womanhood

Kim Jong Suk is held up as the perfect mother, wife and revolutionary in state propaganda, despite her unassuming life

Tatiana Gabroussenko December 24, 2024

Tall tales: How Kim Il Sung’s wife became the paragon of North Korean womanhood

A propaganda mural of Kim Jong Suk holding Kim Jong Il and standing beside Kim Il Sung | Image: Eric Lafforgue

In the hagiography of North Korea’s ruling family, the former male leaders occupy the place of gods, their portraits plastered in every home and statues towering over public squares.

But Kim Jong Suk, the wife of Kim Il Sung and mother of Kim Jong Il, has played a different role in this "Paektu lineage,” held up not as a semi-divine figure beyond the reach of the common people but as a role model for all North Korean women to emulate.

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Tall tales: How Kim Il Sung’s wife became the paragon of North Korean womanhood

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