Before defecting to South Korea in 1991, Ko was a diplomat in Pyongyang who served as an interpreter of French for the country’s founder, Kim Il Sung. Ko cited recent news reports from the ...

and grandfather Kim Il-sung. The visit coincided with the Day of the Shining Star, a national holiday in North Korea on February 16, Kim Jong-il’s birthday. According to the Korean Central News ...

Both his birthday and that of late national founder Kim Il-sung, on April 15, are observed as national holidays in North Korea. The exhibition displayed photos and videos of not only Kim Jong-il ...