Kim Kyong-hui

An important member of Kim Jong Il's inner circle of trusted friends and advisors,[3] she was director of the WPK Light Industry Department from 1988 to 2012.

It was the period when North Korea was establishing diplomatic relations with a number of capitalist countries, like Thailand and Singapore, as well as the United Nations.

[7] In 1988, Kim was promoted to WPK Central Committee member and director of the Light Industry Department.

[7] However, while her husband resurfaced with a high-level position in 2007, she did not appear in public until 2009, playing a more and more prominent role, accompanying Kim Jong Il to several inspection tours and attending official events.

On 27 September 2010, it was announced that she was made a general in the Korean People's Army,[8] the first woman in North Korea to achieve this military rank.

She and Jang continued dating after he relocated to Wonsan, allegedly because the Kim family opposed their relationship.

[14] In the 2010s, Kim Kyong-hui was rumored to be either dead or very ill.[15] According to a report by the Daily NK in August 2012, she has suffered from ill health due to alcoholism.

[24] Yoon Sang-hyun, a National Assembly of South Korea deputy floor leader of the governing Saenuri Party, said that Kim had been "separated" from Jang and did not oppose his purge.

[28] In 2016, historical footage of her was aired on North Korean television, indicating that she had not been removed from official history.

[29] In 2017, the South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported that she was alive but receiving medical treatment.