Hong Il-chon (Korean홍일천; born 1942) was the first wife of Kim Jong Il. She was the daughter of a soldier who died during the Korean War. In the early 1960s, Kim Il Sung, father of Kim Jong Il, introduced her to his son and handpicked her to marry him in 1966. Her only child, daughter Kim Hye-gyong, was born in 1968, and is the first child of Kim Jong Il.[1][2][3] They divorced in 1969.

Hong Il-chon
홍일천
Born1942 (age 81–82)
Spouse
(m. 1966; div. 1969)
ChildrenKim Hye-kyung
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
홍일천
Hancha
洪一天
Revised RomanizationHong Ilcheon
McCune–ReischauerHong Ilch'ŏn

Hong Il-chon held a degree in Russian Literature from Kim Il Sung University. After her divorce from Kim Jong Il, she was still active in politics and educational affairs. She became one of the members of the Supreme People's Assembly during the period between 1977 and 1991. After she withdrew from the Assembly, she was appointed as principal of Kim Hyong Jik University of Education in September 1991. She retired from that post in July 2012 at the age of 70.[4]

References

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  1. ^ 김정일 딸이 위원장? 北 여성동맹 대폭 강화, 매일경제 (in Korean)
  2. ^ 정락인, 권력 따라 뜨고 진 북한 '외척'들 Archived 9 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine, 시사저널 (in Korean)
  3. ^ 韓媒:中國雜誌罕有介紹朝鮮"金氏王朝"世系 Archived 7 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine,中國評論新聞,2009年8月27日。
  4. ^ "Information from Korea unification center". Cybernk.net. Retrieved 9 August 2017.