73 Facts About Kim Jong-un

Kim Jong-un is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's second supreme leader from 1994 to 2011, and Ko Yong-hui.

Kim Jong-un is a grandson of Kim Il-sung and the first leader of North Korea to have been born in the country after its founding in 1948.

From late 2010, Kim Jong-un was viewed as successor to the leadership of North Korea.

Kim Jong-un holds the titles of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and President of the State Affairs.

Kim Jong-un is a member of the Presidium of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea, the highest decision-making body.

Related searches

In July 2012, Kim Jong-un was promoted to the highest rank of Marshal in the Korean People's Army, consolidating his position as Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

Kim Jong-un 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.

Kim Jong-un has ordered the purge or execution of several North Korean officials; he is widely believed to have ordered the 2017 assassination of his half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, in Malaysia.

Kim Jong-un has presided over an expansion of the consumer economy, construction projects and tourist attractions.

Kim Jong-un expanded North Korea's nuclear program which led to heightened tensions with the United States and South Korea.

In 2018 and 2019, Kim Jong-un took part in summits with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Donald Trump.

Kim Jong-un has claimed success in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea; the country did not report any confirmed cases until May 2022, although many experts doubt this claim.

North Korean authorities and state-run media have stated Kim Jong-un's birthdate was 8 January 1982, but South Korean intelligence officials believe the actual date is a year later.

Kim Jong-un is the second of three children Ko Yong-hui bore to Kim Jong-il; his elder brother Kim Jong-chul was born in 1981, while his younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, is believed to have been born in 1987.

Kim Jong-un is a grandson of Kim Il-sung, who was the founder of and led North Korea from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.

Kim Jong-un is the first leader of North Korea to have been born a North Korean citizen, his father having been born in the Soviet Union and his grandfather having been born during the Japanese colonial period.

All the children of Kim Jong-un Jong-il are said to have lived in Switzerland, as well as the mother of the two youngest sons, who lived in Geneva for some time.

Kim Jong-un was described as shy, a good student who got along well with his classmates, and was a basketball fan.

Kim Jong-un was chaperoned by an older student, who was thought to be his bodyguard.

Later, it was reported that Kim Jong-un attended the Liebefeld Steinholzli state school in Koniz near Bern under the name "Pak-un" or "Un-pak" from 1998 until 2000 as the son of an employee of the North Korean embassy in Bern.

Kim Jong-un was described as a well-integrated and ambitious student who liked to play basketball.

Kim Jong-un was obsessed with basketball and computer games, and was a fan of Jackie Chan action movies.

Kim Jong-un Jong-nam was killed in Malaysia in 2017 by suspected North Korean agents.

Kim Jong-un has superb physical gifts, is a big drinker and never admits defeat.

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.

Related searches

From 2009, it was understood by foreign diplomatic services that Kim Jong-un was to succeed his father Kim Jong-un Jong-il as the head of the Korean Workers' Party and de facto leader of North Korea.

Kim Jong-un has been named "Yongmyong-han Tongji", which loosely translates to "Brilliant Comrade".

Kim Jong-un's father had asked embassy staff abroad to pledge loyalty to his son.

In September 2009, it was reported that Kim Jong-un Jong-il had secured support for the succession plan, after a propaganda campaign.

Kim Jong-un was made a daejang, the equivalent of a four-star general in the United States, 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.

On 10 October 2010, Kim Jong-un was alongside his father when he attended the ruling Workers' Party's 65th-anniversary celebration.

Some analysts had predicted that when Kim Jong-il died, Jang Song-thaek would act as regent, as Kim Jong-un was too inexperienced to immediately lead the country.

The Korean Central News Agency described Kim Jong-un as "a great person born of heaven", a propaganda term only his father and grandfather had enjoyed.

Kim Jong-un was publicly declared Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army on 24 December 2011, and formally appointed to the position on 30 December 2011 when the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea "courteously proclaimed that the dear respected Kim Jong Un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, assumed the supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army".

On 26 December 2011, the leading North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported that Kim Jong-un had been acting as chairman of the Central Military Commission, and supreme leader of the country, following his father's demise.

On 27 March 2012, Kim Jong-un was elected to the Fourth Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Kim Jong-un took his father's post as Chairman of the Central Military Commission, as well as his father's old seat on the Politburo Presidium.

On 15 April 2012, during a military parade to commemorate Kim Il-sung's centenary, Kim Jong-un made his first public speech, Let Us March Forward Dynamically Towards Final Victory, Holding Higher the Banner of Songun.

In July 2012, Kim Jong-un was promoted to wonsu, the highest active rank in the military.

On 30 November 2012, Kim Jong-un met with Li Jianguo, first-ranking vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, who "briefed Kim Jong-un on the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China", according to the state's official news agency, the Korean Central News Agency.

On 9 March 2014, Kim Jong-un was elected to a seat in the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's unicameral legislature.

On 29 June 2016, Kim Jong-un became the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, after the State Affairs Commission replaced the National Defence Commission.

In July 2012, Kim Jong-un showed a change in cultural policy from his father by attending a Moranbong Band concert.

Kim Jong-un used this event to introduce his wife to the public, an unprecedented move in North Korea.

In 2013, Kim Jong-un copied his grandfather's style when he gave his first New Year's address, a break from the approach of his father, Kim Jong-un Jong-il, who never made a televised address during his 17 years in power.

Related searches

Kim Jong-un has appeared more accessible and open than his father, hugging and linking arms with young and old.

In May 2014, following the collapse of an apartment building in Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un was said to be very upset at the loss of life that resulted.

Kim Jong-un has been promoting a policy of byungjin, similar to his grandfather Kim il-sung's policies from the 1960s, developing the national economy in parallel with the nations nuclear weapons program.

Kim Jong-un has been actively promoting a consumer culture, including entertainment and cosmetics.

Allegations in 2013 that Kim Jong-un had his ex-girlfriend, singer Hyon Song-wol, executed for violating pornography laws turned out to be false.

Yonhap has stated that, according to multiple unnamed sources, Kim Jong-un has put to death members of Jang's family, to completely destroy all traces of Jang's existence through "extensive executions" of his family, including the children and grandchildren of all close relatives.

Those reportedly killed in Kim Jong-un's purge include Jang's sister Jang Kye-sun, her husband and ambassador to Cuba, Jon Yong-jin, and Jang's nephew and ambassador to Malaysia, Jang Yong-chol.

In December 2015, Kim Jong-un stated that his family "turned the DPRK into a powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb to reliably defend its sovereignty and the dignity of the nation".

In March 2018, Kim Jong-un visited Beijing, meeting with General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping, marking his first foreign trip since assuming power.

Kim Jong-un agreed to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons facilities if the United States took reciprocal action.

In February 2019, Kim Jong-un held another summit with Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, which Trump cut short on the second day without an agreement.

On 25 April 2019, Kim Jong-un held his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia.

On 30 June 2019, in the Korean DMZ, Kim Jong-un again met with Trump, shaking hands warmly and expressing hope for peace.

Kim Jong-un has appeared in public rarely over the following months, possibly because of health problems or the risk of COVID-19.

Kim Jong-un replaced the local provincial party committee chairman and ordered Pyongyang officials to lead a recovery effort.

Kim Jong-un's ruling party pledged harsh punishment for the city and provincial officials, stating that they failed to protect the residents from the disaster.

Kim Jong-un fired Kim Jong-un Song-il, who was chairman of the South Hamgyong Province Workers Party of Korea Committee.

At the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, held in early January 2021, Kim Jong-un delivered a nine-hour-long report in which he admitted failures in carrying out the economic plan and lambasted leading officials' shortcomings.

Kim Jong-un praised the country's nuclear capability and addressed the United States as the DPRK's main enemy.

Kim Jong-un spoke further at a subsequent meeting with the WPK, stating that the virus had brought “great turmoil” to his country, and urged the party and people to remain unified and organized in their efforts to combat the virus.

Related searches

Kim Jong-un is a fan of basketball, and his favorite teams include the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.

On 26 February 2013, Kim Jong-un Jong-un met Dennis Rodman, which led many reporters to speculate that Rodman was the first American that Kim Jong-un had met.

International Business Times reported Kim Jong-un to have 17 luxury palaces around North Korea, a fleet of 100 luxury cars, a private jet, and a 100-foot yacht.

In 2009, reports suggested that Kim Jong-un was a diabetic and suffered from hypertension.

Kim Jong-un did not appear in public for six weeks in September and October 2014.

Kim Jong-un is sometimes accompanied by his younger sister Kim Jong-un Yo-jong, who is said to be instrumental in creating his public image and organising public events for him.

On 13 February 2017, Kim Jong-nam, the exiled half-brother of Kim Jong-un, was assassinated with the nerve agent VX while walking through Terminal 2 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Kim Jong-un is widely believed to have ordered the assassination.