Kim Jong Un
Kim Jong Un[c][d][e] (English: /ˌkɪm dʒɒŋˈʊn, -ˈuːn/;[2] Korean: 김정은; born 8 January 1982, 1983 or 1984)[f] is a North Korean politician who has been supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012.[g] He is the third son of Kim Jong Il, who was the second supreme leader of North Korea, and a grandson of Kim Il Sung, the founder and first supreme leader of the country.
For other people named Kim Jong Un, see Kim Jong Un (disambiguation).
Kim Jong Un
Himself (as First Chairman of the National Defense Commission)
Kim Jong Il (as Chairman)
Himself (as President of the State Affairs)
Paektusan 111
8 January 1982 (per North Korean sources)
Pyongyang, North Korea
2 unconfirmed,
1 confirmed: Kim Ju-ae
- Kim Jong Il (father)
- Ko Yong Hui (mother)
North Korea
2010–present
Gim Jeong(-)eun
Kim Chŏngŭn
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From late 2010, Kim was viewed as the successor to the North Korean leadership. Following his father's death in December 2011, state television announced Kim as the "Great Successor". Kim holds the titles of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and President of the State Affairs. He is also a member of the Presidium of the WPK Politburo, the highest decision-making body in the country. In July 2012, Kim was promoted to the highest rank of Marshal in the Korean People's Army, consolidating his position as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. North Korean state media often refer to him as "Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un" or "Marshal Kim Jong Un". He has promoted the policy of byungjin, similar to Kim Il Sung's policy from the 1960s, referring to the simultaneous development of both the economy and the country's nuclear weapons program. He has also revived the structures of the WPK, expanding the party's power at the expense of the military leadership.
Kim rules North Korea as a totalitarian state, and his leadership has followed the same cult of personality as his father and grandfather. In 2014, a United Nations Human Rights Council report suggested that Kim could be put on trial for crimes against humanity. According to reports, he has ordered the purge and execution of several North Korean officials including his uncle, Jang Song-thaek, in 2013. He is also widely believed to have ordered the assassination of his half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, in Malaysia in 2017. He has presided over an expansion of the consumer economy, construction projects and tourist attractions in North Korea.
Kim expanded the country's nuclear weapons program, which led to heightened tensions with the United States and South Korea, as well as China. In 2018 and 2019, Kim took part in summits with South Korean president Moon Jae-in and US president Donald Trump, leading to a brief thaw between North Korea and the two countries, though the negotiations ultimately broke down without progress on reunification of Korea or nuclear disarmament. He has claimed success in combating the COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea, as the country did not report any confirmed cases until May 2022, although several South Korean observers have questioned this claim.
Succession
Pre-2010 Party Conference speculation
Kim Jong Un's eldest half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, had been the favorite to succeed, but reportedly fell out of favor after 2001, when he was caught attempting to enter Japan on a fake passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.[38] Kim Jong Nam was killed in Malaysia in 2017 by suspected North Korean agents.[39]
Kim Jong Il's former personal chef, Kenji Fujimoto, revealed details regarding Kim Jong Un, with whom he had a good relationship,[40] stating that he was favored to be his father's successor. Fujimoto also said that Jong Un was favored by his father over his elder brother, Kim Jong Chul, reasoning that Jong Chul is too feminine in character, while Jong Un is "exactly like his father".[41] Furthermore, Fujimoto stated that "if power is to be handed over then Jong Un is the best for it. He has superb physical gifts, is a big drinker and never admits defeat." Also, according to Fujimoto, Jong Un smokes Yves Saint Laurent cigarettes, loves Johnnie Walker whisky and has a Mercedes-Benz 600 luxury sedan.[42] When Jong Un was 18, Fujimoto described an episode where Jong Un once questioned his lavish lifestyle and asked, "we are here, playing basketball, riding horses, riding jet skis, having fun together. But what of the lives of the average people?"[41] On 15 January 2009, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that Kim Jong Il had appointed Kim Jong Un to be his successor.[38][43]
On 8 March 2009, BBC News reported that Kim Jong Un was on the ballot for 2009 elections to the Supreme People's Assembly, the rubber stamp parliament of North Korea.[44] Subsequent reports indicated that his name did not appear on the list of lawmakers,[45] but he was later elevated to a mid-level position in the National Defense Commission, which is a branch of the North Korean military.[46]
From 2009, it was understood by foreign diplomatic services that Kim was to succeed his father Kim Jong Il as the head of the Korean Workers' Party and de facto leader of North Korea.[47] He has been named "Brilliant Comrade".[48] His father had also asked embassy staff abroad to pledge loyalty to his son.[49] There have also been reports that citizens in North Korea were encouraged to sing a newly composed "song of praise" to Kim Jong Un, in a similar fashion to that of praise songs relating to Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung.[50] Later, in June, Kim was reported to have visited China secretly to "present himself" to the Chinese leadership.[51] The Chinese foreign ministry has strongly denied that this visit occurred.[52][11]
In September 2009, it was reported that Kim Jong Il had secured support for the succession plan, after a propaganda campaign.[53] It is believed by some that Kim Jong Un was involved in the Cheonan sinking[54] and the bombardment of Yeonpyeong[55] to strengthen his military credentials and facilitate a successful transition of power from his father.[56]
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission
Kim Jong Un was made a daejang, the equivalent of a four-star general in the United States,[57] on 27 September 2010, a day ahead of a rare Workers' Party of Korea conference in Pyongyang, the first time North Korean media had mentioned him by name and despite him having no previous military experience.[58][59][60] Despite the promotion, no further details, including verifiable portraits of Kim, were released.[61] On 28 September 2010, he was named vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and appointed to the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, in an apparent nod to become the successor to Kim Jong Il.[62]
On 10 October 2010, Kim Jong Un was alongside his father when he attended the ruling Workers' Party's 65th-anniversary celebration. This was seen as confirming his position as the next leader of the Workers' Party. Unprecedented international press access was granted to the event, further indicating the importance of Kim Jong Un's presence.[63] In January 2011, the regime reportedly began purging around 200 protégés of both Jong Un's uncle-in-law Jang Song Thaek and O Kuk Ryol, the vice chairman of the National Defence Commission, by either detention or execution to further prevent either man from rivaling Jong Un.[64]
Personal life
Personality
Kenji Fujimoto, a Japanese chef who was Kim Jong Il's personal cook, described Kim Jong Un as "a chip off the old block, a spitting image of his father in terms of face, body shape, and personality".[248] Kim is a fan of basketball, and his favorite teams include the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.[27][249]
On 26 February 2013, Kim Jong Un met Dennis Rodman,[250] which led many reporters to speculate that Rodman was the first American whom Kim had met.[251] During Rodman's trip, Vice magazine correspondent Ryan Duffy said that Kim was "socially awkward" and avoided eye contact.[252]
According to Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute, Kim Jong Un has greater visible interest in the welfare of his people and engages in greater interaction with them than his father did.[253]
South Koreans who saw Kim at the summit in April 2018 described him as straightforward, humorous, and attentive.[254] After meeting him, Donald Trump said, "I learned he was a talented man. I also learned he loves his country very much." He added that Kim had a "great personality" and was "very smart".[255]
Public image
Forbes magazine ranked Kim as the 36th most powerful person in the world in 2018, the highest amongst Koreans.[256]
In a 2013 poll, 61.7% of North Korean defectors in South Korea said that Kim Jong Un was probably supported by most of his countrymen, an increase from the 55.7% approval rating for his father in a similar survey done two years earlier.[257]
The nickname "Kim Fatty III" (Chinese: 金三胖; pinyin: Jīn Sān Pàng) began trending among Chinese users of the websites Baidu and Sina Weibo in late 2016. In response, the North Korean government successfully petitioned the Chinese government to censor the nickname on all Chinese websites.[258]
In a poll of South Koreans conducted following the May 2018 inter-Korean summit, 78% of respondents said they trusted Kim, compared with 10% approval a couple months prior.[259]
Jubilee Medal "75 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (Russia, 2020) — awarded for his efforts at preserving the memory of Soviet soldiers who died during the Soviet–Japanese War (1945) and were buried in North Korea[291]
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