Kim Bo-hyon

Kim Bo-hyon (Korean: 김보현; Hanja: 金輔鉉; 3 October 1871 – 2 September 1955) was a farmer from the South Pyongan province. He was the paternal grandfather of the founder of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kim Il Sung, the great-grandfather of Kim Jong Il, and great-great-grandfather of the current leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un.

He is buried in the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery in North Korea.

Biography

Kim Bo-hyon was born on 3 October 1871 as the only son to Mangyongdae farmer Kim Ung-u (17 June 1848 – 4 October 1878).^[1] Kim Ung-u died at the age of thirty, one day after Kim Bo-hyon's seventh birthday. Without his father, Kim went to live with his uncle.

In his twenties, Bo-Hyon married a girl named Lee Bo-ik, who was five years younger than Kim. Together, they had three sons and three daughters, the most well known of the offspring being Kim Hyong-jik.^[2][3] To feed his six offspring, Kim was said to have woken up at early dawn and went around the village to collect manure, while at night, he was said to twist straw ropes, make straw sandals and plait straw mats by lamplight.^[4]

Kim Il Sung claimed his ancestors, including his grandfather Kim Bo-hyon and great-grandfather Kim Ung-u, were involved in the General Sherman incident, despite the fact that Kim Bo-hyon was not born until five years later.^[5] The account, undisputed in North Korea, has been questioned by independent scholars abroad.^[6][3] From September 16, 1948, to October 1, 1949, he served as the Deputy Head of the High Special Advisor to the Agricultural Department of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. After officially retiring from his position on October 1, 1949, he died at the age of 83 in 1955.

Legacy

Kim Bo-hyon and Lee Bo-ik were likened as "patriots" by the Editorial Committee for the Short Biography of Kim Il Sung.^[7]

A statue in his honor stands at the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery.^[8]

In 1947, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea established an agricultural college named Kim Bo-hyun University [zh] in his honor.^[9]

On 19 August 2013, wreaths were sent by various North Korean organizations to the tombs of Kim Bo-hyon and Lee Bo-ik.^[10]

Family

• Father: Kim Ung-u (김응우; 17 June 1848 – 4 October 1878)
  • Grandfather: Kim Song-ryeong (김송령; 1 December 1810 – 12 March 1899)
  • Grandmother: Na Hyon-jik (나현직; 4 March 1811 – 23 January 1897)
• Mother: Lady Lee (이씨)
• Wife: Lee Bo-ik (이보익; 31 May 1876 – 18 October 1958)

1. Son: Kim Hyeong-jik (김형직; 10 July 1894 – 5 June 1926)
2. Son: Kim Hyeong-rok (김형록)
3. Son: Kim Hyeong-gwon (김형권; 4 November 1905 – 12 January 1936)
4. Daughter: Kim Gu-il (김구일)
5. Daughter: Kim Hyeong-sil (김형실)
6. Daughter: Kim Hyeong-bok (김형복)

v t e Select[α] family tree of North Korea's ruling Kim family[β][γ][δ]
Kim Song-ryeong 1810–1899 Kim Ung-u 1848–1878 Kim Bo-hyon 1871–1955 Kim Hyong-jik 1894–1926 Kang Pan-sok 1892–1932 Kim Jong-suk 1917–1949 Kim Il Sung 1912–1994 Kim Song-ae 1924–2014 Kim Yong-ju 1920–2021 Kim Young-sook 1947– Song Hye-rim 1937–2002 Kim Jong Il 1941?[ε]–2011 Ko Yong-hui 1952–2004 Kim Ok 1964– Kim Kyong-hui 1946– Jang Song-thaek 1946–2013 Kim Pyong Il 1954– Kim Sol-song 1974– Kim Jong-nam 1971–2017 Kim Jong-chul 1981– Kim Jong Un 1983?[ζ]– Ri Sol-ju c. 1986– Kim Yo-jong 1987– Kim Han-sol 1995– Kim Ju-ae c. 2012[η]–
Notes: ^ To keep the tree of manageable size, it omits five out of the eight known children of Kim Il Sung. Other children not shown in the tree are: Kim Man-il, Kim Kyong-jin, Kim Yong-il, Kim Hyŏn-nam, and Kim Yŏng-il ^ Korean names often have a variety of transliterations into English, which can be confusing. For example, "Kim Jong-chul" may also be written "Gim Jeong-cheol" or "Kim Jŏng-ch'ŏl" among many other variations. See Korean romanization for more information. ^ Huss, Kan; Frost, Clay. "North Korea's First Family: Mapping the personal and political drama of the Kim clan". msnbc.com. Retrieved 20 January 2013. (Confirms many, but not all, of the birth and death years. See individual articles for more references.) ^ Yan, Holly (16 February 2017). "The world's most mysterious family tree: Kim Jong Un's secretive dynasty is full of drama, death". Design by Alberto Mier. CNN. Retrieved 16 February 2017. ^ Official North Korean biographies of Kim Jong Il list his birth year as 1942. The Korean calendar is based upon the Chinese zodiac which is believed to characterize one's personality. The year 1942 (Year of the Horse), in addition to being 30 years since Kim Il Sung's birth may be viewed as a better year than others, thus creating a motive to lie about a birth year. ^ Official North Korean biographies of Kim Jong Un list his birth year as 1982. The Korean calendar is based upon the Chinese zodiac which is believed to characterize one's personality. The year 1982 (Year of the Dog), in addition to being 70 years since Kim Il Sung's birth, may be viewed as a better year than others, thus creating a motive to lie about a birth year. ^ Birth year for Kim Ju-ae is not publicly known. She may have been born in either late 2012 or early 2013.

References