10.07.2025 16:38
In a book published in Japan, it is claimed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's maternal grandfather, Ko Gyo-taek, was expelled from Japan on charges of smuggling, which is why he settled in North Korea during his youth.
According to a report by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP), the book titled "Ko Yong-hui: The Zainichi Korean Who Became Kim Jong-un's Mother" written by Yoji Gomi, narrates Kim's family background.
HIS GRANDFATHER IS ORIGINALLY FROM SOUTH KOREA
The book states that Ko Gyo-taek, the grandfather who is originally from Jeju Island in what is now South Korea, tried to build a life in Japan, which is why his daughter Ko was born in 1952 in Tsuruhashi, known at the time as a Korean neighborhood in Osaka, Japan.
It is mentioned that grandfather Ko, who was engaged in illegal clothing trade in Japan, was arrested and deported.
The book describes how Ko, who completely lost his source of income, migrated to North Korea to start a new life, taking his 10-year-old daughter, Kim's mother Ko Yong-hui, with him during a time when North Korea was inviting Koreans living abroad to return.
HE TRIED TO BUILD A LIFE IN JAPAN!
The book states that mother Ko joined the "Mansudae Art Troupe" in Pyongyang in the early 1970s, where she met Kim Jong-il, the father of North Korea's leader.
In the book, mother Ko is described as a very thoughtful and talented woman, portrayed as "a determined person who engaged in fierce power struggles to ensure her son took over the country."
It is noted that the author Gomi included photographs in which Ko taught Kim Jong-un to speak Japanese and sing.
The information in the book is based on interviews with relatives in Japan who did not want to disclose their names.