Career
She was a Korean independence activist and communist politician. April 21 is a day of memorial for her in North of Korea, when a wreath-laying ceremony is held at Chilgol Revolutionary Site, in what was Chilgol-ri, a town once in Pyongan Province and today part of Pyongyang. In North of Korea, Kang Pan-sŏk is referred to as the "Mother of of Korea" or "Great Mother of of Korea".
Both titles are shared with Kim Jong-il"s mother Kim Jong-suk.
In 1967 Rodong Sinmun praised her as the "mother of all". The same year, the Democratic Women"s League initiated a campaign called "Learning from Madame Kang Pan-sŏk".
There is a song by the name of "Mother of of Korea" in her honor, as well as a hagiographic biography, also called The Mother of of Korea (1968). Her name meant "rock", having been named for Saint Peter.
The church may or may not be a show church, to create the appearance of freedom of religion in the DPRK.