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Consort Of Ailing Kim Has Taken Key Role

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The Associated Press

Published: September 18, 2008

SEOUL, South Korea - Kim Jong Il's companion and former secretary is emerging as a key player in the communist nation after the autocratic leader's stroke.
South Korean officials are keeping a close eye on Kim Ok amid some intelligence reports that she is not only nursing the ailing leader but also is signing official documents on his behalf.

Experts think the communist leader is retaining a firm grip on power, running the nation from his bed with the help of military and communist party chiefs in line with the nation's "songun," or military first, policy. However, they are not discounting the role of the woman who is seen by some as the de facto first lady.

"She is the closest person personally to Kim Jong Il," said Marcus Noland, a North Korea expert at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. "In some ways, she's the one guarding the bedroom or hospital door. She would be in a position to convey his preferences."

Kim, 66, reportedly suffered a stroke last month and is recuperating following emergency brain surgery. However, North Korean officials deny that the communist leader, who was last seen in public more than a month ago, is ill.

The notoriously secretive nation bars ordinary citizens from Web access and most cannot make international phone calls. Late founder Kim Il Sung engineered a cult of personality that encompassed him and his son, and which tolerates no criticism or opposition.
Kim Jong Il was groomed for 20 years to take over as leader, finally assuming the mantle after his father's death in 1994 in the communist world's first hereditary transfer of power. He has three sons - Jong Nam, Jong Chul and Jong Un - but does not appear to have anointed any of them as his heir apparent.

The longer Kim, known to have diabetes and heart disease, remains bedridden, the greater the likelihood of a power vacuum, analysts said.

"If his health problem prolongs, some internal feuding for power will likely occur," said Kang Sung-yoon, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University.

Kim Ok may be poised to fill any void. Experts speculate the North Korean leader's dependence on her during his illness may further bolster her political clout.

"If Kim Jong Il can't communicate with others, her role will be larger," said Kang Jung-mo, a North Korea expert at Kyung Hee University.

Little is known about her. Kim Jong Il is thought to have had three wives before taking Kim Ok as his consort several years ago. She reportedly accompanied the leader on his secret visit to China in 2006.

She is said to be a pianist in her 40s who has served as the leader's secretary since the 1980s.

Furthering the intrigue, Kim's late wife, Ko Yong Hi, the mother of his two younger sons, hand-picked Kim Ok to replace her when she was dying of cancer, according to South Korea's JoongAng Ilbo newspaper.

It wouldn't be the first time an Asian leader's companion has asserted herself. Mao Zedong's last wife - Jiang Qing, nicknamed "Madame Mao" - wielded considerable power in China until her downfall after Mao's death in 1976.

Chiang Kai-shek's wife, Soong Mei-ling, rose to prominence in Taiwan in her husband's twilight years.

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