factory for the Imperial Japanese Army, which gave her the "lowest imaginable status qualities" for a North Korean. Prior to an internal propaganda film released after the ascension of Kim Jong-un, there were three attempts made to idolize Ko, in a style similar to that associated with Kang Pan-sok, mother of Kim Il-sung, and Kim Jong-suk, mother of Kim Jong-il and the first wife of Kim Il-sung. These previous attempts at idolization failed and were stopped after Kim Jong-il's 2008 stroke. The building of a cult of personality around Ko encounters the problem of her bad songbun due to her Japanese mother, even though it is usually passed on by the father. Making her identity public would have undermined the Kim family's pure bloodline, and after Kim Jong-il's death, her personal information, including her name, became state secrets. Ko's real name and other personal details have not been publicly revealed in North Korea, and she is referred to as "Mother of Great Songun Korea" or "Great Mother". In 2012, Kim Jong-un built a grave for Ko on Mount Taesong. References External links BBC News obituary 1952 births 2004 deaths Kim dynasty (North Korea) Deaths from cancer in France Deaths from breast cancer North Korean dancers People from Osaka People from Pyongyang Place of death missing Zainichi Korean people