Kim Jong-un is North Korea’s current Supreme Leader, which he inherited from his father, Kim Jong-il. He is currently the world’s youngest serving state leader and the first supreme leader of North Korea to be born after the country’s founding. Soon after his father’s death in 2011, Kim Jong-un ascended to the position of Supreme Leader of the ‘hermit kingdom,’ taking on his father’s responsibilities and tasks. He has a reputation for being an absolute tyrant who is merciless in his actions. Since assuming power, he has deposed a number of prominent officials who he saw as a threat to his position. He rose to prominence as a result of his open attitude to the public, media appearances, interactions with employees and troops, and adoption of a Westernized lifestyle in contrast to his father’s traditional approach. However, this North Korean tyrant has failed to overcome the obstacles that his father encountered during his leadership, including extreme poverty, a shattered economy, and geopolitical tensions with the United States and South Korea.
Childhood and Adolescence
Kim Jong-un was born in Pyongyang on January 8, 1983, as the youngest son of Kim Jong-il, who eventually became North Korea’s First Supreme Leader, and his wife, opera singer Ko Yong-hui. Kim Jong-grandfather, un’s Kim Il-sung, is regarded as North Korea’s founding father.
He attended the English-language International School in Gumligen, near Bern, from 1993 to 1998, and then Liebefeld Steinholzli School in Koniz from 1998 to 2000.
From 2002 to 2007, he attended Kim II-Sung University (named after his grandfather), a Pyongyang officer-training college.
Career of Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-disposition un’s was similar to that of his father, Kim Jong-il, and as a result, Kim Jong-il preferred him to his elder brother, Kim Jong-chul. To familiarize Kim Jong-un with the state’s business, he began taking him on military inspections.
In 2009, the media reported that his father was grooming him to be his heir apparent, and he was shortly appointed to a mid-level position in the National Defense Commission (NDC), the country’s top office.
He was dubbed ‘Yongmyong-han Tongji,’ which means ‘Brilliant Comrade,’ in North Korea beginning in mid-2009, following which he was appointed chief of the State Security Department.
Despite his lack of military experience, he was promoted to four-star general in 2010, and was appointed vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and elected to the Workers’ Party’s Central Committee.
Kim Jong-un was formally appointed Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army on December 30, 2011, following Kim Jong-death il’s on December 17, 2011.
He was named First Secretary of the Korean Workers’ Party in March 2012, and his late father was named ‘Eternal General Secretary.’ As a member of the Politburo Presidium and the First Chairman of the Central Military Commission, he assumed his father’s responsibilities.
At the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly in April 2012, he was chosen chairman of the National Defense Commission.
He deposed Chief of General Staff Ri Yong-ho, who had fostered him and assisted him in consolidating power following his father’s death, and acquired the title of ‘wonsu’ or’marshal,’ assuming complete control of both political and military power.
North Korea is said to have performed a nuclear test while he was in power. This was done primarily to portray him as a strong leader in the eyes of his people. When he gave his first New Year’s address in 2013, he broke his father’s cautious approach, reintroducing his grandfather’s attractive style.
He was elected to the Supreme People’s Assembly without opposition in 2014.
Personal History and Legacy
After his father had a heart attack, Kim Jong-un is claimed to have married Ri Sol Ju, a former cheerleader and singer, in 2009. Ju-ae, the couple’s kid, was born in 2012.
Ri Sol Ju has been making regular public appearances since the marriage was revealed, breaching Kim’s father’s usual convention of keeping ladies offstage. Kim Jong-un didn’t excel in school, but he did show an interest in sports, notably basketball, and adored Michael Jordan, the basketball legend.
Even though he has only been married once, this North Korean dictator is known as a womanizer with at least four mistresses.
He was placed #46 on Forbes’ list of the “World’s Most Powerful People” in 2013.
Estimated Net Worth
Kim Jong–un has a net worth of $5 billion.