Those who have followed North Korea’s 77-year history are likely to know of its founder Kim Il Sung, his successor Kim Jong Il and his heir Kim Jong Un. But relatively few are familiar with the mother of the current leader, including the vast majority of DPRK citizens.
“Ko Yong Hui: The Korean Resident of Japan Who Became the ‘Mother of Kim Jong Un’” (高容姫 「金正恩の母」になった在日コリアン), written by former Japanese news reporter Gomi Yoji, chronicles the life of Ko Yong Hui, who caught the attention of Kim Jong Il in the 1970s despite having roots in Japan, a hostile nation in the eyes of Pyongyang.