Here is a look at the life of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Personal:
Birth date: January 8 (Widely believed to be in his early 30s, though birth year is publicly unavailable.)
Father: Kim Jong Il
Mother: Ko Young Hee
Marriage: Ri Sol Ju
Children: Ju Ae and reportedly two others
Education: Kim Il Sung Military Academy, 2002-2007
Other Facts:
Youngest son of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
Timeline:
April 2009 – Named to North Korea’s National Defense Commission.
September 28, 2010 – Promoted to four-star general and named vice chairman of the Central Military Commission as well as to the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea.
October 9, 2010 – Kim Jong Nam, eldest son of Kim Jong Il, tells Japan’s TV Asahi that he opposes the hereditary transfer of power for a third generation. These are his first comments since the promotion of Kim Jong Un, his half-brother.
December 17, 2011 – North Korean leader Kim Jong Il dies at the age of 69.
December 28, 2011 – Accompanies the body of Kim Jong Il during the funeral procession through Pyongyang.
December 31, 2011 – Assumes command of the North Korean army. State-run Korean Central News Agency reports that the power was transferred to him on October 8 at the behest of his father.
April 15, 2012 – Speaks before hundreds of troops and others in Pyongyang as part of a celebration marking 100 years since the birth of the nation’s founder, his grandfather. Kim’s address is his first televised speech since assuming the country’s leadership.
June 6, 2012 – Makes his second public speech, speaking to tens of thousands of children in Pyongyang on the 66th anniversary of the Korean Children’s Union. His father, Kim Jong Il, is believed to have made only one brief broadcast throughout his reign.
July 18, 2012 – Kim Jong Un is given the title marshal of the army. It is the latest in a string of moves to reconfigure the top ranks of North Korea’s military. The announcement follows the removal of the army chief, Ri Yong Ho.
March 2013 – Hosts former NBA basketball star and North Korea visitor Dennis Rodman.
September 8, 2013 – Upon returning from his second trip to North Korea, Dennis Rodman says he held “baby Ju Ae” and describes Kim Jong Un as “a good dad.”
January 8, 2014 – Dennis Rodman sings “Happy Birthday” to Kim Jong Un before he and other former NBA players take on the North Koreans in an exhibition game.
March 9, 2014 – Kim is unanimously elected as Deputy to the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) of the DPRK, with 100% turnout.
September-October 2014 – Kim disappears from public view for about six weeks, reportedly to have a cyst removed from his right ankle.
July 2015 – South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se says that Kim has executed 70 officials since coming to power in late 2011.
December 10, 2015 – According to state media outlet KCNA, Kim claims North Korea has added the hydrogen bomb to its nuclear arsenal. But outside observers are skeptical, saying that such an advance in nuclear technology seems unlikely.
July 6, 2016 – The Obama administration imposes sanctions on Kim and 10 other regime officials for their alleged complicity in human rights abuses against the North Korean people. The move marks the first time Washington has sanctioned Kim Jong Un personally.
September 21, 2016 – South Korea’s Defense Minister announces that South Korea has elite troops on standby ready to assassinate Kim Jong Un if the country feels threatened by North Korean nuclear weapons.
December 29, 2016 – A South Korean think tank publishes a report detailing the leader’s use of executions to hold onto power. According to the report, 340 people were executed during a five-year span.
January 1, 2017 – During a televised address, Kim claims that North Korea is almost ready to begin testing intercontinental ballistic missiles.
February 13, 2017 – Kim’s half-brother dies after being poisoned at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport. South Korea’s intelligence agency later says that Kim ordered his death.
September 22, 2017 – After US President Donald Trump threatens to “totally destroy” North Korea if the US is forced to defend itself or an ally, Kim makes a rare direct statement on North Korean television, saying Trump will “pay dearly,” and “I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire.”
