Ryu Mi-yong was the chairwoman of the North Korean Chondoist Chongu Party (one of the party affiliated to the National Committee of Unification). She was a standing committee member of the 10th Supreme People’s Assembly. She is known as a defector from South Korea to the North.
She and her husband Choe Deok-sin (he passed away in 1989) defected to the North in 1986 after living 9 years in the United States. In 2000, she led a delegation of defectors to the South on an officially sanctioned reunion with family they left behind.
Ryu had received the Order of Kim Il-sung, Order of Kim Jong-il and National Reunification Prize. Her son, who is living in South Korea, was allowed to come to her funeral. Her funeral took place two days ago.
Ryu Mi-yong was known as being friendly and open to new technologies. According to diplomats based in Pyongyang, she was also fluent in english.
