After the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un, who was born on January 8th, 1982, 1983, or 1984, has been in charge of North Korea since 2011. He has assumed the role of supreme leader after his father’s passing. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is the third son of Kim Jong Il and the grandson of Kim Il Sung, the nation’s founder and first supreme leader. Kim Jong Un is descended from a lineage that is deeply rooted in the establishment of North Korean leadership.
In the latter part of 2010, Kim was positioned to take over as the heir to his father, which secured his rise to the position of leadership. After Kim Jong Il passed away in December 2011, the state media hailed Kim Jong Un as the “Great Successor,” which marked the beginning of his reign as leader of North Korea. As the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the President of the State Affairs, Kim’s authority extends to the highest levels of North Korean governance. He holds crucial roles in both of these positions. An indication of his status as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces is the fact that he has the rank of Marshal inside the Korean People’s Army.
Following Kim Il Sung’s philosophy from the 1960s, North Korea has adhered to a strategy of byungjin, which advocates for simultaneous development in both the nation’s economic capabilities and its nuclear capabilities. This policy has been in place since Kim Il Sung took control of North Korea. In addition to this, Kim has been responsible for the revitalization of the Workers’ Party of Korea, which has resulted in an increase in the party’s authority at the expense of the military hierarchy.
Kim Jong Un maintains a cult of personality that is comparable to that of his predecessors, and he exercises an iron grip so that he can rule North Korea. During his tenure, allegations of human rights abuses have plagued him, including a report by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2014 that implicated him in possible crimes against humanity. There are reports that claim Kim’s involvement in the purges and executions of high-ranking officials, most notably his uncle Jang Song-thaek in 2013, and the alleged orchestration of his half-brother Kim Jong Nam’s assassination in Malaysia in 2017.
Kim Jong Un’s international relations have been defined by instability, despite the fact that he has been consolidating his power within his own country. He took the initiative to expand North Korea’s nuclear program, which in turn escalated tensions with the United States of America and the countries that are North Korea’s neighbors. Nevertheless, in the midst of the saber-rattling, Kim participated in historic summits with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and former President Donald Trump of the United States of America in 2018 and 2019. These interactions temporarily warmed ties, but they did not result in significant advancements toward the reunification of Korea or the disarmament of nuclear weapons.
Skepticism has been surrounding Kim Jong Un’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak that has been sweeping through North Korea. Officially, North Korea stated that there will be no proven instances until May 2022; nevertheless, this assertion is debatable among a large number of specialists. While this is going on, Kim has been in charge of overseeing efforts that are aimed at supporting the consumer economy, leading construction projects, and improving tourism attractions within the nation that is known for its secrecy.
As Kim Jong Un continues to navigate the challenges of leadership in North Korea, the international community continues to remain attentive, studying the consequences of his policies and actions for the stability of the region and the geopolitics of the world.