He came to power with a campaign that attributed him with superhuman powers (including the ability to manipulate the time and weather), he technically rules via the wishes of his dead father (whom he is a physical incarnation of) and he recently opened an account on twitter… Yes its Kim Jong-il, North Korea’s “Dear Leader”.
Now approaching 70, speculation is rife that Kim Jong-il is poised to name his son Kim Jong-Un as his successor, but who is this mysterious character that is set to take over one of the worlds 9 nuclear-equipped states.
As with all figures in North Korean politics, very little is known about Kim Jong-Un, few photos even exist of the young ruler-to-be and even his birthday (either 1982 or 1983) is a mystery. What is known of his history is that he studied at the International School of Berne in Switzerland under a false name and now works for North Korea’s national defence commission as well as being a member of parliament, again both under false names. And as for his personality, most of the information about him comes from Kim Jong-Il’s former sushi chef Kenji Fujimoto, who described him as “exactly like his father” sharing his “violent temper”.
Kim Jong-Il and Kim Jong-Un recently returned from a trip to China, being one of North Korea’s most important allies, it is believed that this trip was to seek support for Jong-Un to become Kim Jong-Il’s successor from the Chinese government. At the same time back in North Korea, Kim Jong-Il has been busy creating the same cult of personality for his son that surrounds him. From declaring his son’s birthday as a national holiday to encouraging his citizens to sing a ‘song of praise’ to his son, the newly declared “brilliant comrade” of North Korea.
With so little known about Kim Jong-Il and even less known about Kim Jong-Un, North Korean politics can sometimes feel like a bit of guesswork. However what experiences with other non-democratic regimes have taught us, Cuba being a prime example, is that with new leadership sometimes comes new direction.
Now approaching 70, speculation is rife that Kim Jong-il is poised to name his son Kim Jong-Un as his successor, but who is this mysterious character that is set to take over one of the worlds 9 nuclear-equipped states.
As with all figures in North Korean politics, very little is known about Kim Jong-Un, few photos even exist of the young ruler-to-be and even his birthday (either 1982 or 1983) is a mystery. What is known of his history is that he studied at the International School of Berne in Switzerland under a false name and now works for North Korea’s national defence commission as well as being a member of parliament, again both under false names. And as for his personality, most of the information about him comes from Kim Jong-Il’s former sushi chef Kenji Fujimoto, who described him as “exactly like his father” sharing his “violent temper”.
Kim Jong-Il and Kim Jong-Un recently returned from a trip to China, being one of North Korea’s most important allies, it is believed that this trip was to seek support for Jong-Un to become Kim Jong-Il’s successor from the Chinese government. At the same time back in North Korea, Kim Jong-Il has been busy creating the same cult of personality for his son that surrounds him. From declaring his son’s birthday as a national holiday to encouraging his citizens to sing a ‘song of praise’ to his son, the newly declared “brilliant comrade” of North Korea.
With so little known about Kim Jong-Il and even less known about Kim Jong-Un, North Korean politics can sometimes feel like a bit of guesswork. However what experiences with other non-democratic regimes have taught us, Cuba being a prime example, is that with new leadership sometimes comes new direction.
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