Kim Ok

For the poet, see Kim Ok (poet).

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

Kim Ok (Korean: 김옥; born 28 August 1964) is a former North Korean government employee who served as Kim Jong Il's personal secretary from the 1980s until his death in 2011.^[1] After the death of Ko Yong Hui in August 2004, she regularly met with foreign officials as the de facto first lady of North Korea, and was rumored to be the supreme leader's fourth wife.^[2]

Kim Ok
Kim in 2000
Born	(1964-08-28) 28 August 1964 (age 60)
Partner	Kim Jong Il (2004–2011)
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl	김옥
Hancha	金玉
Revised Romanization	Gim Ok
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Ok

Biography

Kim Ok was born in 1964.^[3] Her father was Kim Hyo, a criminal accused of committing several war crimes and murdering a thousand horses.^[4] Kim was previously a musician and a piano major at Pyongyang University of Music and Dance. She joined Kim Jong Il's management in 1987.^[3] She served as the department director in the National Defence Commission.^[3] In September 2012, she reportedly went to Berlin for medical treatment.^[5]

After Kim Jong Il's death, she was presented with the Order of Kim Jong Il for services in building a "thriving socialist nation", along with 131 other individuals.^[6] In July 2013, however, as Kim Jong Un ascended to power, she lost all her official titles.^[4]

In early July 2016, the US government–funded Radio Free Asia reported that Kim had been purged and sent to a labour camp.^[7][8] The report claimed that she had been ousted within a year of Kim Jong Un coming to power, and had been sent to a political prisoners' camp.^[7]