Who was Kim Ung-u? In short the great-grandfather of President Kim Il-Sung, the great-great-great grandfather of Chairman Kim Jong-Un. He is also the first “revolutionary Kim” mentioned and to an extent, the head of the Mount Paektu bloodline.
So, what is the Mount Pekoe Bloodline?
A western paired term it refers to the fact that there has been a three generational shirt in power from Kim Il Sung, to Kim Jong-Il, to Kim Jong-Un.
With regards to this it is generally thought that all leaders much come through this Mount Paketu bloodline. Therefore while the father, grandfather and great-grandfather of President Kim Il-Sung were not around when it was the Paektu bloodline, they are still important parts of it.
So, who was Kim Ung-u?
Born in the Mangyongdae settlement of Joseon in 1948, he was the son of Song Ryong Kim, of which there is little record. He had two brothers, Ui-guk Kim and Jong-su Kim of which there is at least some record.
He was married to Lady Lee, with whom he had one son, Kim Bo-hyon, who was the father of Kim Hyong Jik, father of Kim Il-Sung, as well as Kim Hyong-gwon another noted revolutionary.
Kin Il Sung was of course the father of Kim Jong-Il, who was the father of Kim Jong-Un, thus completing the Paektu lineage.
Kim Ung-U was to do die at the age of just 30 for unknown reasons.
Kim Ung-U and the General Sherman
According to the North Korean state Ung-u was part of a group of revolutionaries that tried to stop the ship with a rope bridge. After this he heard the the America were enquiring about where the Royal tombs of Korea were, as well as raping and looting.
Hereafter his group went out and loaded firewood into wooden boats and took them to the American ship where they were set in fire and the ship was duly sank..
The Yanks later sent another ship, the Shenandoah, as revenge, but the Koreans, again led by Kim Ung-u and indeed his son duly sank it.
Contemporary reports have questioned the historical validity of this, but to the North he is considered very much a hero.
Check out our North Korea tours here.