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Kim Jong Un

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This article is about the son of the deceased North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. For the Super Junior singer, see Yesung. For the actress, see Kim Jung-eun.

Template:Korean name

Kim Jong-un
김정은
金正恩
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers's Party of Korea
Incumbent
Assumed office
28 September 2010
Serving with Ri Yong-ho
LeaderKim Jong-il
Preceded byPosition established
Personal details
Born8 January 1984 (age 40)
Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Political partyWorkers' Party of Korea
Alma materKim Il-sung University
Military service
AllegianceNorth Korea Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Years of service2010–present
RankGeneral
Kim Jong Un
Chosŏn'gŭl
김정은
Hancha
金正恩
Revised RomanizationGim Jeong-eun
McCune–ReischauerKim Chŏng'ŭn

Kim Jong-un (Korean: 김정은,[1] Hanja: 金正恩,[2]) also known as Kim Jong-eun or Kim Jung-eun,[3] formerly Kim Jong-woon or Kim Jung-woon[4] (born 1983 or early 1984),[5] is the third and youngest son of the late Kim Jong-il with his consort Ko Young-hee.[6]

He is a Daejang, the equivalent to an American four-star general [7] in the Korean People's Army and the presumptive head of state of North Korea in the wake of his father's death. Recent actions, symbolic and overt, taken in late 2010 by the "Dear Leader" of North Korea (officially, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea), Kim Jong-il, strongly indicated that Kim Jong-un is now the heir presumptive to the leadership of the nation. It has been claimed that he studied computer science privately in Korea.[8][dead link‍]

Early life

Kim is thought to have been born in 1983 or early 1984.[5] North Korean officials currently gave his date of birth as 8 January 1984. He attended the English-language International School of Berne, Switzerland until 1998 under a pseudonym.[9][10][11][12][13] Former classmates have asserted that he attended Gümlingen International School or Liebefeld public school. His pseudonym at Gümlingen was "Pak Chol" and he pretended to be the son of a driver, although in Liebefeld, the teacher told the class that he was from North Korea. An older student chaperoned him all the time. In Liebefeld, he told his friend Joao Micaelo that he was the son of the heir to the North Korea leader, though Micaelo said he didn't believe him at the time. He was described as a shy child who was uncommunicative with unfamiliar people and was only distinguished for his competitive nature, particularly in sports, and a fascination with the NBA and Michael Jordan. Allegedly, one friend claimed that he had met and even had pictures taken with Kobe Bryant and Toni Kukoc, but was unsure where.[14] He reportedly stayed in Switzerland until late 1999 or early 2000 when former classmates claimed he "disappeared." The ambassador of North Korea in Switzerland, Ri Tcheul, had a close relationship with him and acted as a mentor while there. Switzerland has always stayed neutral in the conflict between North and South Korea. The Kim clan is said to organise family meetings at Lake Geneva and Interlaken.[15]

For many years, only one confirmed photograph of him was known outside North Korea, apparently taken in the mid-1990s, when he was eleven.[16] Occasional other supposed images of him surfaced but were often disputed.[17][18][19][20] It was only in June 2010, shortly before he was given official posts and publicly introduced to the North Korean people, that more pictures were released of Kim, taken when he was attending school in Switzerland.[21][22] The first official image of him as an adult was a group photograph released on 30 September 2010 at the end of the party conference that effectively anointed him, in which he is seated in the front row, two places from his father. This was followed by newsreel footage of him attending the conference.[23]

Succession

Kim Jong-un is expected to become leader of the country after his father. His eldest half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, had been the favorite to succeed, but reportedly fell out of favour after 2001, when he was caught attempting to enter Japan on a fake passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.[24]

Kim Jong-il's former personal chef, Kenji Fujimoto, revealed details regarding Kim Jong-un, with whom he shared a good relationship,[25] stating that he is favored to be his father's successor. Fujimoto also claimed that Jong-un is 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."[26] 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." When Jong-un was 18, Fujimoto described an episode where Jong-un 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?"[26] On 15 January 2009 the South Korean news agency, Yonhap, reported that Kim Jong-il appointed Kim Jong-un to be his successor.[24][27]

On 8 March 2009, the BBC reported rumors that Kim Jong-un appeared on the ballot for elections to the Supreme People's Assembly, the rubber stamp parliament of North Korea.[28] Subsequent reports indicate that his name did not appear on the list of lawmakers,[29] however he was later elevated to a mid-level position in the National Defense Commission, which is a branch of the North Korean Military.[30] Reports have also suggested that he is a diabetic and suffers from hypertension.[4][31]

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.[32] He has been named "Yŏngmyŏng-han Tongji" (영명한 동지) which loosely translates to "Brilliant Comrade."[33] His father had also asked embassy staff abroad to pledge loyalty to his son.[31] There have also been reports that citizens in North Korea have been 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.[34] Later in June, Kim was reported to have visited China secretly to "present himself" to the Chinese leadership, who later warned against North Korea conducting another nuclear test.[35] The Chinese Foreign Ministry has strongly denied that this visit occurred.[36][37]

North Korea was later reported to have backed the succession plan, after Kim Jong-il suspended a propaganda campaign to promote his youngest son.[38] His birthday has since become a national holiday, celebrated on 1 January, according to a report by a South Korean website.[39] He was expected to be named on 28 September 2010 as successor to his father as leader of North Korea.[40][41][42]

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter visited China in early September 2010, and discussed the issue of North Korean leadership succession with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. According to Carter, Wen told Carter that Kim Jong-il had said to Wen that Kim Jong-un's prospective promotion to paramount leader of North Korea was "a false rumor from the West."[43]

Kim Jong-un was made a Daejang, the equivalent to an American Four-Star General,[7] 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 his having no previous military experience.[44][45][46] Despite the promotion, no further details, including verifiable portraits of Jong-un were released.[47] 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.[48]

On 10 October 2010, alongside his father the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un attended the ruling Workers' Party's 65th anniversary celebration. This was seen as fully 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.[49]

Some analysts believe that upon Kim Jong-il's death, Jong-un's uncle Chang Sung-taek will act as regent, as Jong-un is presently too inexperienced to immediately lead the country.[50]

Due to Kim Jong-Il's death in 2011, Kim Jong-un assumed the role of supreme leader of North Korea.

Name

His name was first reported as 김정운 (金正雲), possibly an error in transliterating the name from Japanese to Korean, as the Japanese language does not distinguish between 운 (un) and 은 (eun). The initial source of his name was Kim Jong-il's former personal chef, known by the pen name Kenji Fujimoto, who was among the few who had access to information about Kim's household from inside the secretive regime.[citation needed] Chinese media however, have named him as 김정은 (Hanja: 金正恩).

Ancestry


See also

References

  1. ^ Template:Ko""청년대장 김정은"... 북 후계자 시사 벽보 찍혔다". Kyunghyang Shinmun. 2009-09-25. Retrieved 2010-12-02. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ Template:Ko"[北 막오른 김정은 시대]조선중앙통신 보도, 金正銀(Ｘ) 金正恩". Naver. 2010-10-02. Retrieved 2010-12-02.
  3. ^ Note: until recently, Jong Eun's name had been spelled differently in both Korean and English, causing him to become known as Jong-Woon. The Korean News Service refers to him as Kim Jong Un, while South Korean media is using Eun presently. Daily NK.
  4. ^ a b Kim Jong-un (Kim Jong Woon) - Leadership Succession. Global Security.org. 3 July 2009
  5. ^ a b "Profile: Kim Jong-un". BBC News. 22 Sept 2010. Retrieved 28 Sept 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  6. ^ Moore, Malcom. Kim Jong-un: a profile of North Korea's next leader. The Daily Telegraph. 2 June 2009
  7. ^ a b "Is North Korea following the Chinese model?". BBC News. 29 Sept 2010. Retrieved 30 Sept 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Will Korea's Computer-Savvy Crown Prince Embrace Reform?". Science. 330 (6001): 161. 8 October 2010. doi:10.1126/science.330.6001.161.
  9. ^ North Korean leader Kim Jong-il 'names youngest son as successor', The Guardian, 2 June 2009
  10. ^ "North Korea: Nuclear Tension". CNN. 18 July 2006.
  11. ^ Hall, Allan (25 November 2010). "Dim JongUn". The Sun. London.
  12. ^ Foster, Peter (8 June 2010). "Rare photos of Kim Jong-il's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, released". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  13. ^ Harden, Blaine (3 June 2009). "Son Named Heir to North Korea's Kim Studied in Switzerland, Reportedly Loves NBA". The Washington Post.
  14. ^ http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/07/17/2009071700693.html
  15. ^ http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2010/09/05/01003-20100905ARTFIG00221-kim-jong-un-une-education-suisse-entouree-de-mysteres.php
  16. ^ "BBC News - Tales of starvation and death in North Korea". Bbc.co.uk. 2010-09-22. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
  17. ^ Profile: Kim Jong-un, BBC News Online, 2 June 2009
  18. ^ Photo of Kim Jong-il's Heir Apparent at Age of 16 Unveiled, Korea Times, 14 June 2009.
  19. ^ Fackler, Martin (24 April 2010). "North Korea Appears to Tap Leader's Son as Enigmatic Heir". The New York Times.
  20. ^ "The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea - Confusion Over Photo of N. Korean Leader-to-Be". English.chosun.com. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
  21. ^ "The son also rises". JoongAng Daily. 9 June 2010.
  22. ^ Foster, Peter (8 June 2010). "Rare photos of Kim Jong-il's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, released". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  23. ^ New images of North Korea's heir apparent Kim Jong-un, BBC News Online, 30 September 2010
  24. ^ a b Kim Jong-il's grandson seen at concert. RTHK. 18 July 2009
  25. ^ Lynn, Hyung Gu. (2007). Bipolar orders: the two Koreas since 1989. Zed Books. p. 122. ISBN 978-1842777435.
  26. ^ a b Sang-hun, Choe; Fackler, Martin. North Korea's Heir Apparent Remains a Mystery. The New York Times. 14 June 2009
  27. ^ North Korea Newsletter No. 38. Yonhap. 22 January 2009.
  28. ^ "N Korea holds parliamentary poll". BBC News. Retrieved on 8 March 2009.
  29. ^ "Kim Jong Il's Son, Possible Successor, Isn't Named as Lawmaker". Bloomberg L.P..
  30. ^ "In North Korea, Ailing Kim Begins Shifting Power to Military". Fox News. 1 May 2009.
  31. ^ a b Kim Jong-un: North Korea's Kim Anoints Youngest Son As Heir. Huffington Post. 2 June 2009.
  32. ^ "N Korea names Kim's successor named". BBC. 2 June 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
  33. ^ North Korean leader's son is 'Brilliant Comrade' , The Jakarta Post, 13 June 2009
  34. ^ North Koreans sing praises of dynastic dictatorship - AM, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
  35. ^ Kim Jong Il's son 'made secret visit to China'. The Times. 16 June 2009.
  36. ^ China Dismisses Reports of Kim Jong-un Visit. The Chosun Ilbo. 19 June 2009
  37. ^ Harden, Blaine. North Korea's Kim Jong Il Chooses Youngest Son as Heir. The Washington Post. 3 June 2009
  38. ^ Chang-Won, Lim (6 September 2009). N Korea backs Kim's succession plan: analysts. AFP.
  39. ^ "N.Korea marks Kim jr's birthday as holiday: reports". AFP. 8 January 2010.
  40. ^ Sources: Kim chooses third son as heir, JoongAng Daily, 2 June 2009.
  41. ^ Sources: Is North Korea's Kim poised to name his successor?, news.bbc.co.uk, 1 September 2010.
  42. ^ John Sudworth (2010-09-21). "BBC News - North Korea sets date for rare leadership conference". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
  43. ^ "Trip Report by Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter to China, Sept. 4-10, 2010". The Carter Center. 2010-09-28. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
  44. ^ "North Korea sets date for rare leadership conference". BBC News. 21 September 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
  45. ^ "North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's son 'made a general'". BBC News. 28 Sept 2010. Retrieved 28 Sept 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  46. ^ "North Korea's Kim paves way for family succession". BBC News. 28 Sept 2010. Retrieved 28 Sept 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  47. ^ By MATT NEGRIN. "N. Korean leader promotes his son | POLITICO 44". Politico.com. Retrieved 2010-09-28. {{cite web}}: Text "09/28/10 7:05 AM" ignored (help)
  48. ^ North Korea leader's son given key party posts, BBC News, 28 September 2010
  49. ^ McDonald, Mark (9 October 2010), Kim Jong-il’s Heir Attends Parade, New York Times
  50. ^ Rick Wallace and Michael Sainsbury. "Kim Jong-il's heir Kim Jong-un made general". The Australian. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
  51. ^ "Kim Jong-un did not execute his uncle or ex-lover: Dennis Rodman". 6 May 2014. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
Wikinews has related news:
Party political offices
New office Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea
2010–present
Served alongside: Ri Yong-ho 		Incumbent

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