[imText1]Jeong Choon Shil (67), who received the “hard-working hero” title and the Kim Il Sung Medal and even executed Kim Jong Il’s onsite inspections last year, recently defected from North Korea, Free North Korea Broadcasting, a broadcast for North Koreans, on the 21st. Jeong was the Chief of the Office of Commerce in Juncheon, Jagang Province.
Defectors said that the confirmation of Jeong Choon Shil’s defection can cause a huge shock to North Korean citizens, comparable to the defection of Hwang Jang Yop, the former Secretary of the Labor Party, in 1997.
The broadcast borrowed the direct statement of a defector who entered South Korea after passing through Thailand on the 19th, relaying, “I have heard from a friend (detained) at the Thai immigration office that Jeong Choon Shil arrived in Thailand via China and was waiting at an unknown place for exile to a foreign country.”
While making inquiries to verify the news of Jeong’s defection, the broadcast revealed that it succeeded in contacting a related person of defector aid activity, who insisted that he himself helped Jeong reach Thailand via China.
The related person said in a phone conversation with the broadcast, “It is true that Jeong Choon Shil has defected. However, I cannot say why he defected.”
When contact with the source was re-attempted the next day, the source said, “For her safety, providing any more comments will be difficult. She is not handled with the other defectors” and hinted that She is currently under protection of South Korea’s intelligence organization.
An affiliate of the broadcast explained the details in a phone conversation with Daily NK on the 21st, “When I first heard this news, we thought it was just a rumor, but several people have come forward saying that they have actually seen Jeong Choon Shil. After confirming this information several times, we reported this news.”
The broadcast also attempted to contact a defector who has entered South Korea and has apparently seen Jeong with his own eyes in Thailand, but the broadcast relayed that due to the protection of identity, the defector has refused to be interviewed.
South Korean intelligence authorities avoided giving a direct reply, saying, “We need more time to confirm the veracity of the news.”
Another related person of intelligence authorities said, “Jeong Choon Shil had appeared on Chosun (North Korea) Central TV at the end of January. The fact that a key figure who appeared on North Korean official media until last year has abruptly defected and is waiting exile to a foreign country is not easily believable.”
Jeong also had accompanied Kim Jong Il who had come out to Jagang Province on an onsite inspection last September. Kim Jong Il had taken a commemorative photo with Jeong, saying, “Laborers have to model Jeong Choon Shil’s noble devotion and partisanship.”
One defector residing in South Korea remarked, “If Jeong Choon Shil’s defection is a fact, it will cause a huge shock to North Korean citizens comparable to former Secretary of the Party Hwang Jang Yop’s defection. The defection of a high-level army leader does not cause much of a stir among average civilians, but in the case of Jeong Choon Shil, she is a ‘hard-working hero’ with whom all citizens are well-acquainted, so the impact will be insignificant.”
Who is Jeong Choon Shil?
Jeong is the main character of a campaign, “Let us learn from Jeong Choon Shil,” which was carried out by the North Korean authorities nationwide.
While acting as the Chief of the Office of Commerce in Juncheon, Jagang Province for 30 years, Jeong carried an “Our Families Notebook,” in which she recorded the daily lives of citizens under the office’s charge and systematically took care of them.
Kim Il Sung had praised the notebook, saying “It is the seed of the communist’s commerce and an excellent method of commodities distribution.” Afterwards, Kim Jong Il put forward Jeong Choon Shil’s experiences and cases in 1991 and ordered that followers actively take up after her activities and achievement, starting the ” Jeong Choon Shil movement.”
Jeong was appointed as a delegate to the Supreme People’s Assembly from the Sixth Term (December ’77) to the 11th Term (the present) and awarded the Kim Il Sung Medal, which is the highest honor in North Korea, and the title of “hard-working hero,” rising as a well-known figure and even receiving an autographed letter from Kim Jong Il.
However, it was known that Jeong Choon Shil had lost the trust of citizens by illegally accumulating wealth by using his close ties with Kim Jong Il. According to defectors, Jeong called Kim Il Sung “father” and Kim Jong Il “elder brother,” exercising great power.
