Kim Jong-chul
Who was Kim Jong-chul?
Middle son of Kim Jong-il and elder brother of Kim Jong-un, who was reportedly passed over for succession due to his low political profile and interest in music.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Kim Jong-chul (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Kim Jong-chul was born on September 25, 1981, in Pyongyang, North Korea, as the second son of Kim Jong-il, who led North Korea from 1994 until his death in 2011. His mother, Ko Yong-hui, a dancer of Korean-Japanese background, died in 2004. He has an older half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, who was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in February 2017, and a younger brother, Kim Jong-un, who currently leads North Korea.
Kim Jong-chul studied partly in Switzerland, using a pseudonym while attending school in Bern alongside his younger brother Kim Jong-un. It's common for children of North Korean elites to be educated in Europe, away from public attention. Details about his early life and education are mostly hidden, in line with the secrecy surrounding the Kim family.
In 2007, Kim Jong-chul became deputy chief of a leadership division within the Workers' Party of Korea, indicating he might have been a potential successor. However, on January 15, 2009, the South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported that Kim Jong-il named his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as his successor, bypassing both Kim Jong-nam and Kim Jong-chul. Reports suggested Kim Jong-chul was passed over due to his low political ambition, lack of leadership qualities, and greater interest in music than in government or military.
Kim Jong-chul is a big fan of British rock guitarist Eric Clapton. He has been photographed attending Clapton concerts in Europe, among the few confirmed sightings of him outside North Korea. He was seen at Clapton's concerts in Singapore in 2011, and later in London and Germany, attracting media attention due to the rarity of his public appearances. His love for Western rock highlights the contrast with the cultural isolation imposed on regular North Korean citizens.
Since Kim Jong-un solidified his power after Kim Jong-il's death in December 2011, Kim Jong-chul has kept a very low profile. He doesn't appear to hold any significant political role and is rarely seen at official events. His continued obscurity may be a political arrangement to avoid challenging his younger brother's authority, or it might reflect his own lack of interest in politics.
Before Fame
Kim Jong-chul grew up in the world's most secretive ruling family, in the tightly controlled environment of North Korea's elite in Pyongyang. As Kim Jong-il's son, he had privileges that ordinary North Koreans didn't, such as studying abroad in Switzerland in the late 1990s. There, he lived under an assumed name to keep his real identity hidden from the public.
His rise to any political role was mostly due to his family background, not personal achievements. He grew up during the 1990s famine in North Korea, known as the Arduous March, which killed hundreds of thousands. However, he was far removed from the general population's suffering. Joining the Workers' Party in 2007 was due to family influence, not an election, highlighting the inherited nature of power in North Korea.
Key Achievements
- Appointed deputy chief of a leadership division of the Workers' Party of Korea in 2007
- Received education at the University of Bern in Switzerland, one of few North Korean elite figures known to have studied in Western Europe
- Maintained a stable, non-threatening position within the North Korean political structure following his brother Kim Jong-un's rise to power in 2011
Did You Know?
- 01.Kim Jong-chul attended Eric Clapton concerts in Singapore in 2011 and later in London and Germany, representing some of the only confirmed public sightings of him outside North Korea.
- 02.He studied in Bern, Switzerland under a pseudonym during the late 1990s, attending school alongside his younger brother Kim Jong-un.
- 03.His mother, Ko Yong-hui, was a dancer of Korean-Japanese origin who became one of Kim Jong-il's favored consorts before dying of breast cancer in 2004.
- 04.South Korean and Western intelligence reports have suggested that Kim Jong-il personally found his son too soft-natured for leadership, a characterization that reportedly influenced the succession decision.
- 05.Kim Jong-chul's older half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, lived for years in Macau and was assassinated in 2017 using VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.