Kim Jong-un
Who was Kim Jong-un?
Third Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011, succeeding his father Kim Jong-il and continuing the Kim family dynasty that has ruled the country since its founding.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Kim Jong-un (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Kim Jong-un was born on January 8, between 1982 and 1984, in Chagang Province, North Korea. He is the second of three children of Kim Jong-il and Ko Yong-hui, a former dancer who was one of Kim Jong-il's favored companions. Kim Jong-un grew up mostly away from public view, with little information released about his early life. He attended Liebefeld-Steinhölzli State School in Switzerland under a false name before returning to North Korea for higher education. He later studied at Kim Il-sung University and Kim Il-sung Military University, which are very significant in North Korea because they are named after his grandfather, the country's founding leader.
Around 2009, Kim Jong-un started being publicly positioned as his father's successor. After Kim Jong-il's death in December 2011, state television announced Kim Jong-un as the 'great successor to the revolutionary cause,' and he quickly took control of the country's main institutions. He became the general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, president of the State Affairs Commission, and commander-in-chief of the Korean People's Army. In July 2012, he was promoted to marshal, which is the highest military rank in the country. He then married Ri Sol-ju, a former singer who has sometimes appeared with him at public events, which is uncommon for the spouse of a North Korean leader.
Kim Jong-un's leadership includes political consolidation, changes in economic policy, and speeding up the nuclear weapons program. Moving away from his father's military-first Songun policy, he introduced Byungjin, which aimed to advance both the country's nuclear capabilities and its civilian economy. Under his leadership, North Korea carried out several nuclear tests and developed missiles capable of reaching the continental United States. These actions led to increased international sanctions and diplomatic tensions, including a tense period with the United States in 2017, followed by unprecedented meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019.
His rule has involved concentrating power and suppressing political opponents. In 2013, Kim ordered the arrest and execution of his uncle Jang Song-thaek, showing his harsh approach to maintaining power. North Korean and international investigators linked the 2017 assassination of his half-brother Kim Jong-nam in Malaysia to North Korean state agents, with many attributing the order directly to Kim. Human rights organizations continue to report severe abuses in North Korea’s prison camps, restrictions on freedom, and widespread famine and poverty affecting many people.
Before Fame
Kim Jong-un spent part of his childhood abroad, attending a Swiss state school in the Bern area under a fake name. Classmates said he was quiet and liked basketball. His father, Kim Jong-il, kept his succession plans unclear for most of his time in power. Kim Jong-un was mostly unknown to the outside world until 2009, when North Korean officials started introducing him at party functions and state events as the chosen successor.
His rise to power was entirely based on his family's rule within the Kim dynasty, where political authority is passed down hereditarily and reinforced by a state-supported cult of personality. He was prepared within a select inner circle, benefiting from an education at North Korea's top institutions while being kept from public view until his father's death made taking over unavoidable.
Key Achievements
- Assumed supreme leadership of North Korea in 2011 and consolidated control over the party, military, and state apparatus within two years
- Oversaw North Korea's development and testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles and multiple nuclear devices, significantly advancing the country's strategic weapons capability
- Conducted the first-ever summits between a North Korean leader and a sitting U.S. president, meeting Donald Trump three times between 2018 and 2019
- Introduced the Byungjin economic and military parallel development policy, reshaping national priorities away from the previous military-first Songun doctrine
- Maintained uninterrupted dynastic rule of North Korea through a third generation of the Kim family
Did You Know?
- 01.Kim Jong-un is known to be a passionate fan of basketball and hosted former NBA star Dennis Rodman for multiple visits to Pyongyang beginning in 2013, describing Rodman publicly as a friend.
- 02.He was named to Time magazine's Time 100 list of most influential people in the world six times between 2011 and 2018.
- 03.He received the Russian Jubilee Medal '75 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945' in 2020, awarded by the Russian government to foreign dignitaries as a commemorative honor.
- 04.Kim Jong-un is reportedly the first North Korean leader to publicly acknowledge a failed missile launch, doing so in state media in 2012.
- 05.His wife, Ri Sol-ju, was a relative unknown before their marriage and was identified as a former performer with the Unhasu Orchestra, one of North Korea's leading musical ensembles.
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Jubilee Medal "75 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" | 2020 | — |
| Time 100 | 2018 | — |
| Time 100 | 2011 | — |
| Time 100 | 2017 | — |
| Time 100 | 2016 | — |
| Time 100 | 2013 | — |
| Jubilee Medal "80 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" | — | — |