In North Korea, Kim Jong-un was less than 30 years old when he took over the reins of government. Kim Jong-un’s father Kim Jong-il died on December 16, 2011 at the age of 69. He was then North Korea’s supreme leader. After the death of his father, the young leader of the country, Kim Jong-un, took on the difficult responsibility of running the state that year. He was later elected general secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party.
Kim Jong-un has ruled North Korea hard for a decade. At the time, many hoped that Kim Jong-un, educated in Western Europe and young in Europe, would bring about sweeping reforms in North Korea. Change the country’s strategy of isolation from the rest of the world. Limit progress on missile tests. Through this, the fortunes of the North Koreans will begin to return. However, their expectations were not met. Over the past decade, Kim Jong-un has not shied away from tightening his grip on the country.
“Kim Jong-un has always had a tendency to show power,” said Go Muung-hun, a research fellow on North Korea at the Asian Institute for Policy Studies, a South Korean think tank. That is why Kim Jong-un has chosen Kim Jong-un as his successor. Even as the youngest child in the family, Kim Jong-un was his father’s first choice in running the state. The lure of power has made him North Korea’s supreme leader. “
The importance of militarization
Over the past decade, North Korea has taken a step forward in the ballistic missile test and nuclear arms race through Kim Jong-un. The country has some intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of hitting the mainland of the United States. In 2016, Kim Jong-un got involved in a nuclear war with the United States due to an old dispute. He has made North Korea’s military stronger than his father’s.
Ankit Panda is a senior researcher on nuclear policy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank. He authored a book, Kim Jong-un and the Bomb. “Kim Jong-un considers the missile test to be North Korea’s most valuable sword,” said Panda. He considers the display of this sword essential in the last one decade. ‘
But a decade later, Kim Jong-un’s health is now in the international media. For a long time, Kim Jong-un was hidden from public view. At this time he has lost a few kilograms. North Korea prefers to be isolated from the outside world. So the world does not know much about the country. What Kim Jong-un’s administration has officially said is the biggest source of information for outsiders about North Korea. So it is difficult to predict Kim Jong-un’s future plans.
Conservative Kim Jong-un
“If you want to know more about someone, first learn about their family and the process of growing up,” said Cheung Sheung-chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Shejong Institute in South Korea, explaining Kim Jong-un’s behavior. According to him, Kim Jong-un’s family was conservative about running the state. This tendency has remained in him too.
“Kim Jong-un has a tendency to exercise power since childhood,” said Cheung Sheung-chang. He was educated in military education. A picture of Kim Jong-un’s eighth birthday was released. He was seen wearing a military uniform with rank. The military officers on the side are seen saluting him in the picture. It is clear from this that Kim Jong-un has been prepared as the future general since childhood. ‘
When he was a little older, Kim Jong-un was sent to a residential school in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. Kim Jong-un’s elder brother Kim Jong-chol used to study in that school. Kim Jong-un was once considered North Korea’s next supreme leader. But Cheung Sheong-Chang thinks he lacked political and military ambitions. So Kim Jong-un’s younger son Kim Jong-un was chosen as his successor. After completing his studies in Switzerland, Kim Jong-un returned home. He graduated from Kim Il Sung Military University in North Korea in 2006 with a degree in military studies. Kim Jong-un likes to ride horses and play basketball.
