North Korean gulag survivor tells of years of hell

North Korean gulag survivor tells of years of hell

In her youth, Kim Young-soon was a dancer and a member of the North Korean elite who lived a life of calculated caution, surrounded by privilege and propaganda in Pyongyang. Then a high-school and college friend, the actress Sung Hye-rim, who lived in an apartment just above hers, became Kim Jong-il’s mistress and gave birth to his son. Desperate to keep the affair secret from his disapproving father, North Korea’s Great Leader, Kim Il-sung, the younger Kim had the security police arrest everyone who knew of his liaison. More...