It is highly unusual for a woman to be tasked with an important area of foreign policy in North Korea. Consequentially, Kim has been called the "female hard worker for South Korean affairs". Her feminine clothing has stood out in the otherwise largely male North Korean delegations and attracted media attention. Kim's prominent role as a negotiator has been explained as a gesture of friendliness from the North Korean government as well as a way to match the presidency of Park Geun-hye, South Korea's first female president.
Early life
Kim Song-hye was born on 17 July 1965 in South Pyongan Province.[1] Described as "very smart",[2] she is possibly a graduate of Kim Il-sung University, although "her accurate academic background has yet to be known".[3]
Kim was part of the North's delegation negotiating the June 15th North–South Joint Declaration at the 2000 inter-Korean summit.[3] In 2005, she took part in the 15th North–South Ministerial Talks in Seoul as one of three female delegates, the first ever dispatched to cabinet-level talks by North Korea.[7] In total, Kim has visited the South Korean capital Seoul more than 10 times. Kim was also present at the 16th installment of the ministerial talks held in Pyongyang. Likewise, she interacted with the South Korean delegation at the 2007 inter-Korean summit there.[3]
It is rare for a North Korean female to work in the field of inter-Korean relations. Consequentially, Kim has been given the nickname "female hard worker for South Korean affairs". During the North–South Ministerial Talks in 2005 for instance, she attracted media attention by standing out from the conservatively dressed mostly male delegation with her white two-piece suit. When the South Korean Minister of UnificationChung Dong-young introduced her, he noted that respecting women is a feature of Korean culture.[3]
Experts have taken her role as a female negotiator during the 2013 working level talks as an implication that the North Korean government wants to conduct the talks in a friendly mood. North Korea could have also tried to match the position of Park Geun-hye, South Korea's first female president,[3] whom Kim hosted on a visit to Pyongyang in 2002 prior to her presidency.[9] During the 2013 meeting she was noted for wearing a turquoise suit similar to that worn by Ri Sol-ju, the wife of Kim Jong-un when she was introduced to the public as North Korea's First Lady. Kim also wore high heels, which has been interpreted as adopting a Western fashion at the cost of comfort.[10]
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