On July 18, 2024, Munhwa Ilbo conducted an interview with Park Jae Kyu, President of Kyungnam University (KU), and Kim Sun Hyang, Chairperson of the University of North Korean Studies (UNKS), to discuss issues of Korean unification and their married life. This article has been translated into English for the Kyungnam Times (KT), faithfully reflecting the interview contents provided by Munhwa Ilbo.
President of KU Park Jae Kyu and Chairperson of UNKS Kim Sun Hyang How Are They Doing These Days?
“55 years of married life, supporting each other Happy companions as off icials and educators My wife has been recently publishing a series of poetry books. Park Jong-kyu, the former chief of the presidential security service, is my eldest brother. He used to carry me on his back in my childhood.”
“My exams are over. Now it’s your turn, but don’t criticize me,” said President Park Jae Kyu to his wife, Chairperson Kim Sun Hyang, with a smile like a playful boy. This was during a recent interview with Munhwa Ilbo at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies (IFES) in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. President Park’s joking remark revealed his deep affection for his wife, who is the same age as him, both born in 1944.
Smiling gently at her husband’s joke, Chairperson Kim Sun Hyang said, “I have leaned on my husband a lot over the many years we’ve lived together.” Reflecting on the secret to over half a century of companionship since their marriage in 1969, she added, “I believe that enduring adversities together makes the journey of life less lonely and less arduous.”
President Park Jae Kyu cheerfully recounted, “One time in my youth, we moved homes while I was away on an overseas business trip. When I arrived at the airport in Korea, I had to call my wife to ask where our new home was located.” Chairperson Kim mentioned that although her husband traveled to communist countries during the Cold War as a scholar studying North Korea, “I never thought he was in danger.”
President Park Jae Kyu successfully led the inter-Korean summit while serving as the Minister of Unification under the Kim Dae-jung administration (December 1999– March 2001). “We couldn’t reach an agreement on military issues during the interKorean ministerial talks, so after the summit, I requested a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Kim Yong-sun, the secretary of the North Korean Workers’ Party, eventually relented to my persistence and arranged a meeting with Kim Jong-il, who was away at the time. I took an overnight train from Pyongyang and met him in an unknown location. That place turned out to be Jagang Province.”
President Park recalled, “Kim Jong-il said that North Korea clings to nuclear weapons out of fear that it might disappear from the face of the earth.” He added, “This mindset will be the same under Kim Jong-un’s regime, so now is the time for us to employ a ‘Two-Track’ approach, focusing on nuclear deterrence while seeking dialogue.”
After stepping down as Minister, President Park returned to KU and has run the university ever since. “I have been commuting between Seoul and Changwon and living well. Seeing students on campus brings me joy. Our university alumni are playing significant roles in various fields after graduation. I am truly grateful and feel a sense of accomplishment.”
President Park is also well known as the younger brother of Park Jong-kyu (1930– 1985), the Former Chief of the Presidential Security Service, nicknamed ‘Pistol Park.’ “My eldest brother, the first of 13 siblings, had a significant age gap with me, the twelfth. He used to carry me on his back whenever he saw me as a child. I miss those days with him a lot.”
Chairperson Kim Sun Hyang, who has supported President Park’s social activities, has also dedicated herself to being an educator. She taught English literature at several universities, including Kyung Hee University and KU, and has been running UNKS since retirement. “As you may know, our university is conveniently located in the city and boasts an excellent campus environment. One of our key advantages is our extensive collection of materials related to issues concerning the Korean Peninsula.”
Chairperson Kim is also an advisor to the Red Cross Honors Club, a group of highvalue donors affiliated with the Korean Red Cross (KRC). She previously served as Vice President and Acting President of the KRC. “My volunteer work with the KRC has continued since the time my husband was a minister.” In addition to translating English poetry collections, she is also a poet who has published her own poetry collections. I had the pleasure of hearing her recite poems at the Hungarian Cultural Center in Seoul, where she translated her own poems into English and read them with impressive fluency and pronunciation.
She has been publishing a series of poetry books under the title Verse Diary. “I write diary entries in the form of poetry on special days. Through my poetry and photos, I try to remember fleeting moments in this fast-paced life.”
Chairperson Kim cited ‘walking’ as the secret to maintaining her physical and mental vitality. “I try not to burden myself. I want to move lightly. I walk in the park near my office after lunch and stroll around the city on weekends.”