[KS] I, II III ... The provocative consanguinity of Kims

[Ruediger Frank]

Dear Lauren,
There are definitely other lineages. This is not my field, so I am relying
on others‘ work and observations here, but in essence it is the 50 odd
members of the former Kapsan faction (i.e. Kim Il Sung's guerilla
comrades) that forms the core of the aristocracy in North Korea. This
circle seems to be rather closed, although occasionally, it was enlarged
through marriage. I guess Jang Song Thaek is an exapmle for the latter.
His nephew has just become ambassador to Malaysia. Among other recently
publicized examples was O Il-jong (director of the Workers Party's
Military Affairs Department), the son of late O Jin U who was among the
most loyal followers of Kim Il Sung. Here is a Chosun Ilbo report:
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/04/13/2011041301775.html

But as I said, this is not my field. For details and a systematic
approach, I’d suggest to first check some of the works on the Kapsan
faction, like those by Suh Dae-sook, and identify the names of as many as
possible of its members. Then see what you can find at a 북한 인문 사전 ; an
online version can be found at the homepage of the ROK’s Ministry of
Unification, http://unibook.unikorea.go.kr/?sub_num=54 Actually, I'd be
surprised if this work would not have already been done in South Korea.
Anyway, personally, and maybe somebody on this list has an idea, I wonder
what happened to the families of the purged former elite, like the Yan’an
and the Soviet Faction. Are they still aristocracy, or were they purged,
too?
All the best,
Rudiger Frank



On Mo, 16.01.2012, 02:12, Lauren Deutsch wrote:
> Thank you Dr. Frank and others for this farsighted view. I am wondering
> also
> whether in N there are other lineages, perhaps in the Party or military,
> where sons are promoted into father¹s ranks upon the death (assuming no
> ³retirement²).
> --
> Lauren W. Deutsch
> 835 S. Lucerne Blvd., #103
> Los Angeles CA 90005
> Tel 323 930-2587  Cell 323 775-7454
> E lwdeutsch at earthlink.net
>
>
>
> From: Ruediger Frank <ruediger.frank at univie.ac.at>
> Organization: University of Vienna
> Reply-To: Ruediger Frank <ruediger.frank at univie.ac.at>, Korean Studies
> Discussion List <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
> Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:18:35 +0100
> To: Korean Studies Discussion List <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
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