The Flower of Unification: how a girl from the South became an icon in the North



Evergreen The Flower of Unification: how a girl from the South became an icon in the North Lim Su-kyung's 1989 Pyongyang visit shows how close, and yet how far apart, the two Koreas were and remain to this day James Fretwell January 29, 2020 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON 1989 Rim Su Gyong Takes Part in World Festival of Youth and Students - Retro DPRK - Public domain On July 1, 1989, North Korean leader Kim Il Sung delivered his opening remarks at the newly-constructed May Day Stadium in Pyongyang for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. The stadium was packed with fellow North Koreans and Festival attendees from abroad. But despite the presence of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and guests from abroad including Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, it was a previously-unknown girl from South Korea who would really steal the show. On July 1, 1989, North Korean leader Kim Il Sung delivered his opening remarks at the newly-constructed May Day Stadium in Pyongyang for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. The stadium was packed with fellow North Koreans and Festival attendees from abroad. But despite the presence of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and guests from abroad including Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, it was a previously-unknown girl from South Korea who would really steal the show. Become a member for less than $5.75 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis 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

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The Flower of Unification: how a girl from the South became an icon in the North

Lim Su-kyung's 1989 Pyongyang visit shows how close, and yet how far apart, the two Koreas were and remain to this day

James Fretwell January 29, 2020

The Flower of Unification: how a girl from the South became an icon in the North

1989 Rim Su Gyong Takes Part in World Festival of Youth and Students - Retro DPRK - Public domain

On July 1, 1989, North Korean leader Kim Il Sung delivered his opening remarks at the newly-constructed May Day Stadium in Pyongyang for the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students. The stadium was packed with fellow North Koreans and Festival attendees from abroad.

But despite the presence of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and guests from abroad including Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, it was a previously-unknown girl from South Korea who would really steal the show.

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