On December 17, 2011, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died suddenly of a heart attack.
As the eldest son of Kim Il-sung, the founding head of North Korea, Kim Chong-il has attracted much attention at home and abroad since he came to power.
During his administration, Kim Chong-il gave birth to a total of five important aides, known as the "Five King Kongs" by the outside world.
So, 13 years have passed since Kim Jong-il's death, but what is the current situation of the former "Five King Kongs"?
The most famous "No. 2 person" - Jang Song-taek
Among Kim Chong-il's right-hand men, Jang Song-thaek is undoubtedly the most eye-catching.
Jang Cheng-taek, who was born in an ordinary family in 1946, changed his fate because of a marriage.
During college, he met a woman named Kim Kyung-hee, who was attracted by his tall figure and artistic atmosphere, and the two quickly came together.
And this woman who was attracted by Jang Song-taek has a lot of background, she is the daughter of the founding leader Kim Il Sung.
At the beginning, the relationship between the two was unanimously opposed by the Jin family.
In order to beat the mandarin ducks, Zhang Chengze was once transferred to another school to study.
But Kim Kyung-hee's personality is as strong as her father and brother, and she would rather die than give in, and finally insisted on getting together with Jang Song-taek.
At the age of 26, Jang Song-taek successfully married the daughter of the Jin family, and since then he has been at the peak of his life.
In the past 10 years, he has slowly climbed from the vice minister of youth affairs to the position of second-in-command of the central government, and is deeply relied on by Kim Chong-il.
On December 17, 2011, Kim Jong Il died of illness.
Just a month before his death, he had just been awarded the title of General Jang Song-taek, a position that helped him gain a firm foothold in the military and political parties and become the undisputed "regent".
At Kim Jong Sun's funeral, Jang Song-thaek was chosen as one of the mourners, and standing in front of him was Kim Jong-un, the next head of state.
For the next two years, Jang Song-thaek remained an elder by Kim Jong-un's side.
On any occasion, he was only one step behind the Führer.
Such a close distance is enough to see the core position of Jang Song-thaek in the North Korean government.
However, just two years after Kim Jong-un came to power, the once prominent "regent" ushered in the end.
In 2013, the number of times Jang attended events on behalf of the government was cut in half.
The right-hand man who frequently accompanies Kim Jong-un has also been replaced by someone else.
On December 9, 2013, Jang was arrested during a meeting.
It is reported that this is because Jang Song-taek has made too many mistakes in recent years.
Abuse of power, engaging in improper relationships with women, eating and drinking at public expense, going in and out of casinos, etc.
He even committed such a serious crime as disrupting the country's finances.
Before the law, even if he is Kim Jong-un's own uncle, he cannot be tolerated.
On December 12, 2013, Jang was sentenced to death in accordance with the law.
The once prosperous and famous "regent" finally ended up with a death and a reproach through the ages.
Kim Jong Il's chief - Kim Kok Tae
The second tiger general next to Kim Jong-il is his former boss and chief - Kim Guotai.
This man was born in 1924, and his father was Kim Chae, the famous founding father of North Korea.
In order to escape the war, Kim Chae grew up in the northeast.
After 918, he joined the anti-Japanese torrent against the Japanese invaders, contributed to China's anti-Japanese struggle, and was also a member of the Communist Party of China.
In 1945, Kim Chae returned to his unliberated homeland and began to devote himself to the liberation of the Korean Peninsula.
As a founding hero, he became one of the core members of the North Korean government.
At the height of his power, Kim Chaek was North Korea's deputy prime minister for a time.
It's a pity that during the Korean War, Kim Chaek died on the battlefield.
And his son Kim Kok Tae naturally became the focus of Kim Il Sung's care.
With the relationship between his father, Kim Guotai and Kim Jong-il have become inseparable friends since childhood, and the two witnessed the liberation of North Korea together.
In 1963, Kim Guotai was awarded the rank of lieutenant general and became deputy director of the General Political Bureau at the age of 39.
In the 70s, when Kim Jong-il was training in the Propaganda Department of the Workers' Party, Kim Kook-tae also became his immediate boss.
After Kim Jong-il came to power, Kim Kook-tae also went one step further and became one of the core leaders of the North Korean Central Committee, having served as the secretary of the Central Committee.
On December 13, 2013, Jin Guotai passed away due to illness.
At the funeral on December 16, all members of the DPRK's central government were present.
Kim Jong-un, as a junior, buried him with a state funeral.
Kim Ki-nam - the soul of the propaganda world
Kim Ki-nam, a "soul figure" in charge of propaganda and ideology around Kim Jong-il.
Born in 1929, he was an unknown journalist until the end of the 20th century.
But because of his talent and sharp pen, he soon received the attention of the propaganda department.
Kim Jong-il, who started his career in the propaganda department, promoted him to the editor-in-charge of Rodong Sinmun.
Sitting in this position at the age of 47, the starting point of Kim Ki-nam's political career can be described as extremely low.
However, this does not seem to delay him from shining in North Korea.
During his time in the propaganda department, he was called the "first stroke".
Kim Ki-nam's propaganda slogan was favored by Kim Chong-il.
Even many of Kim Jong-il's speeches were written by Kim Ki-nam.
Because of his outstanding work ability, coupled with his brother Kim Yong-nam's position in the Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Ki-nam quickly stood out in the propaganda department and became a member of the Supreme People's Assembly.
Just three years later, he was elected to the Central Committee.
In the following 30 years, Kim Ki-nam's position in the central government of North Korea became higher and higher, even surpassing his brother Kim Yong-nam.
In 2010, Kim Ki-nam was elected a member of the Politburo and concurrently served as secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the DPRK.
During this period, in addition to being in charge of the propaganda department, Kim Ki-nam was also the main person in charge of the reunification work on the Korean Peninsula.
On August 16, 2005, he led a delegation of more than 50 people to Seoul, which brought about a historic meeting between the two Koreas.
This is the first time in the history of the DPRK that a delegation has visited the ROK, which shows that Kim Chong-il attaches great importance to him.
In May 2016, Kim Ki-nam was re-elected to the Politburo Standing Committee and stuck to his post at the age of 87.
Currently, Kim Ki-nam is 95 years old.
He does not smoke or drink on weekdays, looks down on all fame and fortune, and still quietly waits for the Korean people as an elder.
Accompany Kim Jong-il to inspect various places - Lee Yong-chul
Ri Yong-chol, a senior official from North Korea's armed forces, is also a tiger general who most often accompanies Kim Jong-il on tour of various places.
This person has sharp eyes, giving people a sense of not being angry and arrogant.
Because of his wisdom in military and national defense, he was relied on by Kim Chong-il.
In the 80s of the 20th century, Lee Yong-chul worked in the Ministry of Armed Forces, and then was transferred to the Workers' Party as the head of the investigation department.
In May 1999, U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry visited the DPRK as Clinton's special envoy.
The North Korean official in charge of receiving Perry is Lee Yong-chul.
At that time, relations between the United States and the DPRK were not harmonious, and the two sides engaged in a fierce confrontation over the deployment of North Korean missiles.
The outcome of this negotiation is unknown to the outside world, but since then, Li Yongzhe's fame has become louder and louder, leaving a deep impression on Western military circles.
Later, Lee Yong-chul completely grew into Kim Jong-il's right-hand man and the most relied on in the military.
Whenever he goes out to visit or tour various parts of North Korea, Lee Yong-chul often accompanies him, which is enough to see his special status.
On the 15th day of the first lunar month of 2007, a delegation of the DPRK government visited the Chinese Embassy in the DPRK, and Ri Yong-chul followed him.
At the banquet that night, the two sides celebrated the Lantern Festival, and the atmosphere was peaceful.
However, since Kim Jong-il's death, Lee Yong-chul has quickly disappeared from public view, and there is rarely news of him in the market.
Walked through the red carpet of Kim Jong Il - Kang Seok-joo
The last right-hand man next to Kim Jong-il was Kang Seok-joo, who served as the first vice foreign minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Speaking of Jiang Xizhu, this person still has an unknown relationship with China.
In the 60s of the last century, Jiang Xizhu came to Peking University to study, and thus met a group of Chinese friends, one of whom was also China's later foreign minister - Li Zhaoxing.
According to Li Zhaoxing's recollection. In 1963, as a senior brother, he tutored English to a junior brother from North Korea, who was Kang Seok-joo.
In March 2004, Li Zhaoxing visited North Korea in his capacity as China's foreign minister, and Jiang Xizhu was the one who received him.
The old classmates met very cordially.
Jiang Xizhu sighed: "Decades ago, I lived in the same room with Foreign Minister Li at Peking University. Now he's the Foreign Minister, and I'm still the Deputy Foreign Minister..."
In addition to his friendship with China, Kang Seok-ju has also represented Kim Jong-il and North Korea and has dealt with many countries.
Since serving as vice foreign minister in 1986, Kang Seok-ju has been in this position for 20 years.
Although his position is not high, he has a lot of experience, and he has visited many countries and seen a wide range of the world, and he is not even inferior to the diplomatic heads of some countries.
In the 90s, North Korea was at odds with the United States over the nuclear crisis.
At the critical moment, Jiang Xizhu led a team to the United States, and after some arduous negotiations, the Americans were forced to agree to help North Korea build two light-water reactors and 500,000 tons of heavy oil per year.
The outcome of these negotiations is regarded as a complete victory in the history of North Korean diplomacy.
Therefore, when he returned to North Korea from abroad, he was warmly welcomed by Kim Chong-il, and the airport even laid a red carpet for him.
Since then, Kang Seok-ju has become more and more relied on by Kim Jong-il.
Later, after the death of Kim Chong-il, Kang Seok-joo, who was already in his seventies, also came to the twilight of his life.
In July 2015, he was last seen in North Korean public view, and he was already very thin because of his illness.
Sure enough, in the second year, he died of esophageal cancer.
For this diplomatic figure who has made significant contributions to North Korea, Kim Jong-un also gave him a state funeral.
epilogue
It has been more than ten years since Kim Chong-il's death, and most of the five former tiger generals have passed away.
The difference is that some of them were sentenced to death, and some were buried with state rites.
The status is almost different, the ending is completely different, in the final analysis, it is your own choice that has created all this.