Ryu Mi-yong (14 February 1921 – 23 November 2016) was the chairwoman of the
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
n
Chondoist Chongu Party
The Chondoist Chongu Party is a popular front party in North Korea. The party was founded on 8 February 1946 by a group of followers of the Ch'ŏndogyo. The party increasingly came under the influence of the government over time and is a part ...
. She was a standing committee member of the 10th
Supreme People's Assembly
The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; ) is the unicameral legislature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. It consists of one deputy from each of the DPRK's 687 constituencies, elected to five-year ...
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
to the North.
Biography
Ryu was the only daughter born in
Harbin
Harbin (; mnc, , v=Halbin; ) is a sub-provincial city and the provincial capital and the largest city of Heilongjiang province, People's Republic of China, as well as the second largest city by urban population after Shenyang and largest ...
to
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
activist Ryu dong ryol.She married Choe Deok-sin in 1937 in China. She and her husband Choe Deok-sin defected to the North in 1986. In 2000, she led a delegation of defectors to the South on an officially sanctioned reunion with family they left behind. Ryu died of
lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
in November 2016. Ryu's second son, Choe In-guk, reportedly defected to North Korea in July 2019.
Ryu had received the
Order of Kim Il-sung
The Order of Kim Il-sung () is the highest order of North Korea, along with the Order of Kim Jong-il, and only second to one honorary title, the Hero of Labour.
The order, named after the country's first leader Kim Il-sung, was instituted in 1 ...
,
Order of Kim Jong-il
The Order of Kim Jong-il () is a North Korean order named after Kim Jong-il, the former leader of North Korea. It is the highest order of North Korea, along with the Order of Kim Il-Sung, and only second to one honorary title, the Hero of Labo ...
and
National Reunification Prize
The National Reunification Prize () is an award of North Korea, bestowed by the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly upon people who have contributed to the reunification of Korea. The award was instituted in 1990.
Recipients
* An Ji-sae ...
.
On her funeral committee were:
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Yang Hyong-sop
Yang Hyong-sop (1 October 1925 – 13 May 2022) was a North Korean politician who served as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly from 1983 to 1998 (from 1994 it was form ...
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Kim Yong-chol
Kim Yong-chol (; born 1946) is a North Korean general and politician who currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea for South Korean affairs and head of the United Front Department. From February ...
Pak Myong-chol
Pak Myong-chol (; born 15 September 1941) is a North Korean political figure who joined the 6th Central Committee of the Korean Workers' Party in September 2010, along with Kim Jong-un. He has served in several important posts in North Korea, in ...