Kim Jong Un

Kim Jong Un's eldest half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, had been the favorite to succeed, but reportedly fell out of favor after 2001, when he was caught attempting to enter Japan on a fake passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland.[35] Kim Jong Nam was killed in Malaysia in 2017 by suspected North Korean agents.[36]

Kim Jong Il's former personal chef, Kenji Fujimoto, revealed details regarding Kim Jong Un, with whom he had a good relationship,[37] stating that he was favored to be his father's successor. Fujimoto also said that Jong Un was 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".[38] 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." Also, according to Fujimoto, Jong Un smokes Yves Saint Laurent cigarettes, loves Johnnie Walker whisky and has a Mercedes-Benz 600 luxury sedan.[39] When Jong Un was 18, Fujimoto described an episode where Jong Un once 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?"[38] On 15 January 2009, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that Kim Jong Il had appointed Kim Jong Un to be his successor.[35][40]

On 8 March 2009, BBC News reported that Kim Jong Un was on the ballot for 2009 elections to the Supreme People's Assembly, the rubber stamp parliament of North Korea.[41] Subsequent reports indicated that his name did not appear on the list of lawmakers,[42] but he was later elevated to a mid-level position in the National Defense Commission, which is a branch of the North Korean military.[43]

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.[44] He has been named "Brilliant Comrade".[45] His father had also asked embassy staff abroad to pledge loyalty to his son.[46] There have also been reports that citizens in North Korea were 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 Jon Il and Kim Il Sung.[47] Later, in June, Kim was reported to have visited China secretly to "present himself" to the Chinese leadership.[48] The Chinese foreign ministry has strongly denied that this visit occurred.[49]

In September 2009, it was reported that Kim Jong Il had secured support for the succession plan, after a propaganda campaign.[50] It is believed by some that Kim Jong Un was involved in the Cheonan sinking[51] and the bombardment of Yeonpyeong[52] to strengthen his military credentials and facilitate a successful transition of power from his father.[53]

Kim Jong Un was made a daejang, the equivalent of a four-star general in the United States,[54] 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 him having no previous military experience.[55] Despite the promotion, no further details, including verifiable portraits of Kim, were released.[56] 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.[57]

On 10 October 2010, Kim Jong Un was alongside his father when he attended the ruling Workers' Party's 65th-anniversary celebration. This was seen as 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.[58] In January 2011, the regime reportedly began purging around 200 protégés of both Jong Un's uncle-in-law Jang Song Thaek and O Kuk Ryol, the vice chairman of the National Defence Commission, by either detention or execution to further prevent either man from rivaling Jong Un.[59]

Kim has changed North Korea's internal power dynamics, increasing the influence of the WPK while decreasing the power of the military.[79] In May 2016, He organized WPK's 7th Congress in May 2016, its first congress since 1980.[80] In the congress, Kim became the Chairman of the WPK, which replaced the First Secretary of the WPK.[81]

The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) amended the constitution in June 2016, abolishing the National Defence Commission (NDC) except in times of war, and replacing it with the State Affairs Commission (SAC), which was named the "supreme policy-oriented leadership body of State power". Kim became the chairman of the State Affairs Commission on 29 June 2016. These amendments marked the decrease of the military's influence, with the newly established SAC including more civilian and less military members than the NDC.[79]

During the 2019 North Korean parliamentary election, Kim Jong Un became the first North Korean leader to not participate as a candidate for the SPA.[82] The constitution was further amended in 2019 by the SPA.[83] References to Juche and Songun were replaced by Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism, and the constitution stipulated that the mission of North Korea's armed forces was to "defend unto death the Party Central Committee headed by the great Comrade Kim Jong Un"; this made Kim the first North Korean leader to be named in the constitution while currently holding power. The chairman of the State Affairs Commission was amended to be the "supreme leader who represents the state", effectively making Kim Jong Un the head of state;[83] previously the president of the Presidium of the SPA was the de facto head of state. The chairman also was named as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces as well as the "supreme representative of all the Korean people".[84]

In January 2021, the WPK held its 8th Congress, in which Kim Jong Un was elected General Secretary of the WPK, which replaced the WPK Chairman.[85] The congress also saw the WPK reassert its commitment to communism.[86] The Control Commission was abolished, with the Central Auditing Commission taking up its duties.[87] The Congress was also unique in that its backdrop did not include the Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il portraits that have normally been put, suggestion a desire for Kim to make his mark on the country's politics.[79]

The congress marked the consolidation of WPK control over the army, as well as a further decrease in the army's power; the number of military delegates dropped from 719 in the 7th Congress to 408.[88] Politburo members increased from 28 to 30, though incumbent military elite membership decreased from eight to six. The influence of the KPA Party Committee and the General Political Bureau (GPB) was decreased; with the committee's ranking now equal to provincial party committees, while it was above them previously. The GPB was also no longer equal to the Central Committee, while the Central Military Commission was given effective command of the armed forces.[88] "Military-first policy" was also removed from the charter, being replaced by "people-first politics".[79]

According to the North Korean constitution, Kim Jong Un is part of a triumvirate heading the executive branch of the North Korean government along with Premier Kim Tok Hun and Supreme People's Assembly president Choe Ryong Hae. Kim Jong Un commands the armed forces, Kim Tok Hun heads the cabinet and handles domestic affairs, and Choe Ryong Hae heads the legislature. However, under the constitution, Kim Jong Un is the highest-ranking of the three, with the constitution explicitly naming his post the "supreme leader who represents the state". Since 1998, the NDC chairmanship has been constitutionally defined as "the highest post in the state",[89] and a constitutional amendment enacted by the regime explicitly named the NDC (first) chairman as "the supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea".[90] However, analysts are divided about how much actual power Kim has.[91][92][93]

In July 2012, Kim Jong Un showed a change in cultural policy from his father by attending a Moranbong Band concert. The concert contained several elements of pop culture from the West, particularly the United States. Kim used this event to introduce his wife to the public, an unprecedented move in North Korea.[94] In the same year, Kim Jong Il's personal chef Kenji Fujimoto visited North Korea and said, "Stores in Pyongyang were brimming with products and people in the streets looked cheerful. North Korea has changed a lot since Kim Jong Un assumed power. All of this is because of leader Kim Jong Un."[95]

According to analysts, Kim Jong Un has used his resemblance to his grandfather to harness Kim Il Sung's personality cult and popular nostalgia for earlier times.[96] In 2013, Kim copied his grandfather's style when he gave his first New Year's address, a break from the approach of his father, Kim Jong Il, who never made a televised address during his 17 years in power.[97] He has also appeared more accessible and open than his father, hugging and linking arms with young and old.[96] In his public appearances, he appears more active than his father or grandfather, for example, weeding, riding a horse, driving a tank, riding a rollercoaster, or using information technology.[96]

People in Pyongyang watch Kim Jong Un on North Korean TV, 2015

In April 2012, when a satellite launch failed, the government admitted this publicly, the first time it had ever done so.[96] In May 2014, following the collapse of an apartment building in Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un was said to be very upset at the loss of life that resulted. A statement issued by the country's official news agency the Korean Central News Agency used the rare expression "profound consolation and apology". An unnamed government official was quoted by the BBC as saying Kim Jong Un had "sat up all night, feeling painful".[98] While the height of the building and the number of casualties was not released, media reports described it as a 23-story building and indicated that more than a hundred people may have died in the collapse.[99]

Kim Jong Un frequently performs symbolic acts that associate him with the personality cult of his father and grandfather.[100][101] Like them, Kim Jong Un regularly tours the country, giving "on-the-spot guidance" at various sites.[102] North Korean state media often refers to him as "Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un"[103][104] or "Marshal Kim Jong Un".[105][106]

On 9 January 2012, a large rally was held by the Korean People's Army in front of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun to honor Kim Jong Un and to demonstrate loyalty.[107]

A selection of Kim Jong Un's works, translated to different languages

On 15 April 2012, during a military parade to commemorate Kim Il Sung's centenary, Kim Jong Un made his first public speech, Let Us March Forward Dynamically Towards Final Victory, Holding Higher the Banner of Songun.[108] That speech became the basis of a hymn dedicated to him, "Onwards Toward the Final Victory".[109]

In November 2012, satellite photos revealed a half-kilometer-long (1,600 ft) propaganda message carved into a hillside in Ryanggang Province, reading, "Long Live General Kim Jong Un, the Shining Sun"![110]

Kim Jong Un has been promoting a policy of byungjin, similar to his grandfather Kim il Sung's policies from the 1960s, developing the national economy in parallel with the country's nuclear weapons program.[111][112][113] A set of comprehensive economic measures, the "Socialist Corporate Responsible Management System", were introduced in 2013.[114] The measures increase the autonomy of enterprises by granting them "certain rights to engage in business activities autonomously and elevate the will to labor through appropriately implementing the socialist distribution system". Another priority of economic policies that year was agriculture, where the pojon (vegetable garden) responsibility system was implemented. The system reportedly achieved a major increase in output in some collective farms.[114]

North Korean media described the economy as a "flexible collectivist system" where enterprises were applying "active and evolutionary actions" to achieve economic development. These reports reflect Kim's general economic policy of reforming management, increasing the autonomy and incentives for economic actors. This set of reforms known as the "May 30th measures" reaffirms both socialist ownership and "objective economic laws in guidance and management" to improve living standards. Other objectives of the measures are to increase the availability of domestically manufactured goods on markets, introduction of defence innovations into the civilian sector and boost international trade.[115]

There has been a construction boom in Pyongyang, bringing colour and creative architectural styles to the city. While in the past there was a concentration on building monuments, Kim Jong Un's government has constructed amusement parks, aquatic parks, skating rinks, a dolphinarium and a ski resort.[116][117] Kim has been actively promoting a consumer culture, including entertainment and cosmetics.[96]

Kim has attempted to ease North Korea's food shortages, though the food situation deteriorated during the COVID-19 pandemic.[118] In March 2023, during a WPK plenary session, he called for boosting agricultural production, saying that it is "important to concentrate on increasing the yield at all the farms".[119]

As with all reporting on North Korea, reports of purges and executions are difficult to verify.[120] Allegations in 2013 that Kim Jong Un had his ex-girlfriend, singer Hyon Song Wol, executed for violating pornography laws turned out to be false.[121][122] In May 2016, analysts were surprised to find that General Ri Yong Gil, reported by South Korea to have been executed earlier in the year, was, in fact, alive and well.[123]

In December 2013, Kim Jong Un's uncle Jang Song Thaek was arrested and executed for treachery.[124][125] Jang is believed to have been executed by firing squad. Yonhap has stated that, according to multiple unnamed sources, Kim Jong Un has also put to death members of Jang's family, to completely destroy all traces of Jang's existence through "extensive executions" of his family, including the children and grandchildren of all close relatives. Those reportedly killed in Kim's purge include Jang's sister Jang Kye Sun, her husband and ambassador to Cuba, Jon Yong Jin, and Jang's nephew and ambassador to Malaysia, Jang Yong Chol. The nephew's two sons were also said to have been killed.[126] At the time of Jang's removal, it was announced that "the discovery and purge of the Jang group ... made our party and revolutionary ranks purer ..."[127] and after his execution on 12 December 2013 state media warned that the army "will never pardon all those who disobey the order of the Supreme Commander".[128]

O Sang Hon was a deputy security minister in the Ministry of People's Security in the government of North Korea who was reportedly killed in a political purge in 2014. According to the South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo, O was executed by flamethrower for his role in supporting Kim Jong Un's uncle Jang Song Thaek.[129]

Similar to his father and grandfather, Kim rules North Korea as a totalitarian state.[8][47] In January 2013, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said that the North Korean human rights situation had not improved since Kim had taken power and called for an investigation.[130] A report on the situation of human rights in North Korea in February 2013[131] by United Nations Special Rapporteur Marzuki Darusman proposed a UN commission of inquiry.[132] The report of the commission of inquiry[133] was published in February 2014 and suggested Kim could "possibly" be made accountable for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court.[134]

In July 2016, the United States Department of the Treasury imposed personal sanctions on Kim. Although his involvement in human rights abuses was cited as the reason,[135] officials said the sanctions target the country's nuclear and missile programs.[136] In June 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump condemned Kim Jong Un's "brutal" regime and described Kim as a "madman" after the death of American student Otto Warmbier who had been imprisoned during a visit to North Korea.[137] However, in 2019, President Trump said that he believed Kim was not responsible for Warmbier's death.[138]

In 2012, a machine gun was discovered beneath a juniper tree in Ryugyeongwon, located near a route that Kim was going to travel. It was assumed this was part of an assassination attempt.[139]

In May 2017, the North Korean government stated that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States and the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) hired a North Korean lumberjack who worked in Russia to assassinate Kim with a "biochemical weapon" that was both radioactive and nano-poisonous, and whose effect would have been delayed by a few months.[140] North Korea said that it would seek extradition of anyone involved in the assassination attempt.[141]

Model of an Unha-9 rocket on display at a floral exhibition in Pyongyang, 30 August 2013

Under Kim Jong Un, North Korea has continued to develop nuclear weapons, testing bombs in February 2013, January and September 2016, and September 2017.[142] As of 2021, North Korea had tested nearly 120 missiles, four times more than in the time of his father and grandfather.[96][79] By 2023, this climbed up to a total of 226.[143] According to several analysts, North Korea sees the nuclear arsenal as vital to deter an attack, and it is unlikely that North Korea would launch a nuclear war.[144] According to a RAND Corporation senior researcher, Kim Jong Un believes that nuclear weapons are his guarantee of regime survival.[145] In 2022, it was estimated that North Korea has around 45-55 nuclear weapons.[146]

In 2012, on the 100th anniversary of Kim Il Sung's birth, he said, "the days are gone forever when our enemies could blackmail us with nuclear bombs".[96] At a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party held on 31 March 2013, he announced that North Korea would adopt "a new strategic line on carrying out economic construction and building nuclear armed forces simultaneously".[147]

During the 7th WPK Congress in 2016, Kim Jong Un stated that North Korea would "not use nuclear weapons first unless aggressive hostile forces use nuclear weapons to invade on our sovereignty".[148] However, on other occasions, North Korea has threatened "pre-emptive" nuclear attacks against a US-led attack.[149] In December 2015, Kim stated that his family "turned the DPRK into a powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb to reliably defend its sovereignty and the dignity of the nation".[150]

In his New Year's Day speech on 2 January 2017, Kim Jong Un said that the country was in the "last stage" of preparations to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).[151] On 4 July, North Korea conducted the first publicly announced flight test of its ICBM Hwasong-14, timed to coincide with the U.S. Independence Day celebrations.[152] On 3 September, the country conducted its sixth nuclear test.[153] On 28 November 2017, North Korea tested the Hwasong-15 missile, which became the first ballistic missile developed by North Korea that is theoretically capable of reaching all of the US mainland.[154][142] In response, the United Nations Security Council enacted a series of sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear program and missile tests.[155]

Until 2022, North Korea's stated policy position was that nuclear weapons "will never be abused or used as a means for preemptive strike", but if there is an "attempt to have recourse to military force against us" North Korea may use their "most powerful offensive strength in advance to punish them". This was not a full no first use policy.[156] This policy changed in 2022 with a law approved by the Supreme People's Assembly, which states that in the case of an attack against the top leadership or the nuclear command and control system, nuclear attacks against the enemy would be launched automatically. Additionally, the new law indicates that if Kim Jong Un was killed, the authorization of nuclear strikes would pass to a senior official.[157][158]

Relations between North Korea and China, long North Korea's closest partner, initially deteriorated under Kim due to his nuclear weapons program. On 30 November 2012, Kim met with Li Jianguo, member of the Politburo of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) and first-ranking vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, who "briefed Kim on the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China", according to the state's official news agency, the Korean Central News Agency.[159] A letter from Chinese president Xi Jinping was hand-delivered during the discussion.[159]

China condemned North Korea's nuclear tests in 2013,[160] 2016,[161] and 2017[162] China also banned imports of North Korean coal in February 2017,[163] while enforcing UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea put in 2017.[164] In response, the Korean Central News Agency published an unprecedented criticism of China, accusing it of "big-power chauvinism";[165] KCNA later published articles criticizing Chinese state-media.[166]

The relationship started improving in March 2018, when Kim visited Beijing, meeting with Xi Jinping,[167][168] marking his first foreign trip since assuming power.[169] From 7–8 May, Kim made a second visit to China, meeting with Xi in Dalian.[170] A further third meeting happened on June 19–20, when Kim travelled to Beijing to meet Xi.[171] Kim again met Xi in Beijing on January 7–10, 2019.[172] On 20–21 June 2019, Xi travelled to Pyongyang, the first visit by a Chinese leader to North Korea since Hu Jintao visited in 2005.[173]

In his 2018 New Year Speech, Kim announced that he was open to dialogue with South Korea with a view to take part in the upcoming Winter Olympics in the South.[174] The Seoul–Pyongyang hotline was reopened after almost two years.[175] North and South Korea marched together in the Olympics opening ceremony, and fielded a united women's ice hockey team.[176] In addition to the athletes, Kim sent an unprecedented high-level delegation including his sister, Kim Yo Jong, and President of the Presidium, Kim Yong Nam, and performers such as the Samjiyon Orchestra.[177] On 5 March, he had a meeting with South Korea's Chief of the National Security Office, Chung Eui Yong, in Pyongyang.[178]

Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shake hands during the 2018 inter-Korean Summit, April 2018

At the April 2018 inter-Korean summit, Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in signed the Panmunjom Declaration, pledging to convert the Korean Armistice Agreement into a full peace treaty, formally ending the Korean War, by the end of the year.[179][180][181]

On 26 May, Kim had a second and unannounced meeting in the North Korean side of Panmunjom, meeting with Moon to discuss his proposed summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore.[182][183]

Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands at the start of the 2018 North Korea–United States Summit, June 2018

On 10 June, Kim arrived in Singapore and met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.[184] On 12 June, Kim held his first summit with Trump and signed a declaration, affirming a commitment to peace, nuclear disarmament, and the repatriation of the remains of U.S. war dead.[185] This marked the first-ever meeting between leaders of North Korea and the United States.[185]

In September, Kim held another summit with Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang. Kim agreed to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons facilities if the United States took reciprocal action. The two governments also announced that they would establish buffer zones on their borders to prevent clashes.[186]

In February 2019, Kim held another summit with Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, which Trump cut short on the second day without an agreement. The Trump administration said that the North Koreans wanted complete sanctions relief, while the North Koreans said that they were only asking for partial sanctions relief.[187]

On 30 June 2019, in the Korean DMZ, Kim again met with Trump, shaking hands warmly and expressing hope for peace. Kim and Trump then joined Moon Jae-in for a brief chat.[188] Talks in Stockholm began on 5 October 2019 between US and North Korean negotiating teams but broke down after one day.[189] During this period, Trump and Kim established a personal relationship and exchanged at least 27 letters in which the two men described a warm personal friendship.[190][191]

However, by 2020, negotiations almost completely stalled without progress on denuclearization,[192] with both Trump and Kim focusing on domestic issues.[193] North Korean foreign ministry further criticized the Trump administration that year for "empty promise[s]",[194] and further took action by demolishing the four-story joint-liaison office building it shared with South Korea on June 17.[195] North Korea further ignored attempts at outreach by the administration of president Joe Biden,[196] and Kim said in October 2021 that the "US has been frequently sending signals that they are not hostile towards our country, but there is no single evidence that they are not hostile",[197] and also criticized South Korea for "destroying the military balance in the Korean peninsula and increasing military instability and danger".[198]

Kim meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the North Korea–Russia Summit, April 2019

On 25 April 2019, Kim held his first summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia.[199][200]

North Korea under Kim supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, blaming the "hegemonic policy" of the US for the war, recognizing the independence of the breakaway states of Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics in Eastern Ukraine[201][202] as well as recognizing Russia's unilateral annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts on 30 September.[203] In September 2022, US intelligence said that Russia was buying millions of artillery shells and rockets from North Korea due to the sanctions caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[204] A February 2023 report by the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) stated that after dropping to nearly zero during the COVID-19 era, trade between North Korea and Russia rebounded back to pre-pandemic levels.[202]

Kim with Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu in Pyongyang, 27 July 2023

In July 2023, Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu and a Chinese delegation led by Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong arrived in North Korea for the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.[205] Shoigu met with Kim Jong Un and North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam.[206]

In September 2023, Kim Jong Un visited Russia in his first foreign trip since 2019. The meeting lasted over four hours at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur Oblast, and was described as underpinning how the two countries' interests are aligning.

Kim with Vladimir Putin at Vostochny Cosmodrome

Putin is widely suspected to be seeking North Korea's large stockpiles of aging ammunition and rockets from the Soviet era. During the meeting, Kim once again gave his support for Russia’s “sacred fight” against the west, expressing his “...support for all the measures taken by the Russian government, and [he] takes this opportunity again to affirm that [he] will always be with Russia." When asked if Russia would help North Korea build satellites, presumably in return for ammunition, Putin said “that’s why [they] came here."[207][208]

During 2020, Kim claimed success in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic in North Korea, after putting the country in isolation and limiting public gatherings.[209]

In April 2020, a three-week absence from public view led to speculation that Kim was seriously ill or dead, but no clear evidence of any health problem came to light.[210][211] He continued to appear in public rarely over the following months, possibly because of health problems or the risk of COVID-19.[212] In August, it was reported that Kim had ceded a degree of authority to his sister, Kim Yo Jong, giving her responsibility for relations with South Korea and the United States and making her his de facto second-in-command.[213]

On 5 September 2020, Kim toured the areas hit by Typhoon Maysak. He also replaced the local provincial party committee chairman and ordered Pyongyang officials to lead a recovery effort.[214] His ruling party also pledged harsh punishment for the city and provincial officials, stating that they failed to protect the residents from the disaster.[215] Kim fired Kim Song Il, who was chairman of the South Hamgyong Province Workers' Party of Korea Committee.[216]

At the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, held in early January 2021, Kim delivered a nine-hour-long report in which he admitted failures in carrying out the economic plan and lambasted leading officials' shortcomings.[217] He also praised the country's nuclear capability and addressed the United States as the DPRK's main enemy.[218] The congress restored the operative functions of the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, a title previously awarded "eternally" to Kim Jong Il in 2012,[219] and elected Kim Jong Un to it.[220] In February 2021, state-run media began referring to Kim as "president" in English language articles.[221] In November 2021, the South Korean National Intelligence Service reported that the North Korean government has begun using the term "Kimjongunism", in an effort to establish an independent ideological system centered on Kim. Analyst Ken Gause described this as Kim "now ready to put his stamp firmly on the regime".[222]

In January 2022, a North Korean KCTV documentary, "2021, A Great Victorious Year", was released, which appeared to address Kim's sudden weight loss and infrequent public appearances. It said that Kim's body had "completely withered away" as he "suffered" for the people during 2021, completing tasks hitherto unpublicized while North Korea faced "challenges" and "worst-ever hardships".[223]

In May 2022, North Korea announced that its first COVID-19 outbreak had started in April. In a meeting with the WPK, Kim ordered "all the cities and counties of the whole country to thoroughly lock down," and called for the mobilization of emergency reserve medical supplies.[224] In the days that followed the country's announcement, hundreds of thousands of new cases of fevers were reported, as well as 27 related deaths related to fever of unidentified origins, among which one death was confirmed as from the Omicron variant according to state-media KCNA.[225] Kim spoke further at a subsequent WPK meeting, stating that the virus had brought “great turmoil” to his country, and urged the party and people to remain unified and organized in their efforts to combat the virus.[225] Kim went on to blame the crisis on incompetence and irresponsibility on the part of the party organizations, and also cast blame on “negligence including drug overdose due to lack of knowledge of treatment methods” as the reason for most of the deaths since the outbreak.[225] As part of the country’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Kim stated that he looked to learn from the response mounted by China.[226] By the end of May, North Korean state media reported the COVID-19 outbreak was “controlled and improved across the country” following a re-evaluation by Kim and the WPK.[227]

Kenji Fujimoto, a Japanese chef who was Kim Jong Il's personal cook, described Kim Jong Un as "a chip off the old block, a spitting image of his father in terms of face, body shape, and personality".[228] Kim is a fan of basketball, and his favorite teams include the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers.[26][229]

On 26 February 2013, Kim Jong‑un met Dennis Rodman,[230] which led many reporters to speculate that Rodman was the first American whom Kim had met.[231] During Rodman's trip, Vice magazine correspondent Ryan Duffy said that Kim was "socially awkward" and avoided eye contact.[232]

According to Cheong Seong-chang of the Sejong Institute, Kim Jong Un has greater visible interest in the welfare of his people and engages in greater interaction with them than his father did.[233]

South Koreans who saw Kim at the summit in April 2018 described him as straightforward, humorous, and attentive.[234] After meeting him, Donald Trump said, "I learned he was a talented man. I also learned he loves his country very much." He added that Kim had a "great personality" and was "very smart".[235]

Forbes magazine ranked Kim as the 36th most powerful person in the world in 2018, the highest amongst Koreans.[236]

In a 2013 poll, 61.7% of North Korean defectors in South Korea said that Kim Jong Un was probably supported by most of his countrymen, an increase from the 55.7% approval rating for his father in a similar survey done two years earlier.[237]

In a poll of South Koreans conducted following the May 2018 inter-Korean summit, 78% of respondents said they trusted Kim, compared with 10% approval a couple months prior.[238]

The nickname "Kim Fatty the Third" (Chinese: 金三胖; pinyin: Jīn Sān Pàng) began trending among Chinese users of the websites Baidu and Sina Weibo in late 2016. In response, the North Korean government successfully petitioned the Chinese government to censor the nickname on all Chinese websites.[239]

The International Business Times reported Kim to have 17 luxury palaces around North Korea, a fleet of 100 (mostly European) luxury cars, a private jet, and a 100-foot (30 m) yacht.[240] Rodman described his trip to a private island owned by Kim Jong Un: "It's like Hawaii, Ibiza, or Aruba but he's the only one that lives there."[241]

In 2012, Business Insider reported that there were "[s]igns of a rise in luxury goods ... creeping out of North Korea since Kim Jong Un took over" and that his "wife Ri Sol Ju was photographed holding what appeared to be an expensive Dior handbag, worth almost $1,594 – an average year's salary in North Korea".[242] According to diplomatic sources, "Kim Jong Un likes to drink and party all night like his father and ordered the [imported sauna] equipment to help him beat hangovers and fatigue."[243]

In 2018, Kim received delivery of two armored Mercedes-Maybach S600s, each valued at $500,000, through an illicit shipping network in violation of international sanctions.[244]

In 2009, reports suggested that Kim Jong Un was a diabetic and suffered from hypertension.[46] He is also known to smoke cigarettes.[245]

Kim Jong Un did not appear in public for six weeks in September and October 2014. State media reported that he was suffering from an "uncomfortable physical condition". Previously he had been limping.[246] When he reappeared, he was using a walking stick.[247]

In September 2015, the South Korean government commented that Kim appeared to have gained 30 kg (66 lb) in body fat over the previous five years, reaching a total estimated body weight of 130 kg (290 lb).[248]

In April 2020, Kim was not seen in public for 20 days, leading to rumours that he was critically ill or dead.[249][250][251] In June 2021, following a one-month-long absence from the public eye, outside observers noted that Kim had lost considerable amount of weight.[252] It is speculated that he had lost 10 to 20 kg (22 to 44 lb).[253]

In April 2023, South Korean military intelligence reported that he missed work, may have obesity, alcohol and smoking addiction and suffering from insomnia.[254] In May, further reports began to circulate suspecting Kim's excessive alcohol and tobacco consumption, exacerbated by insomnia and stress, resulting in noticeably fatigued public appearances, weight gain, and stress-induced dermatitis.[255][256][257] A noticeable uptick in the importation of large amounts of foreign cigarettes including Marlboro and Dunhill was reported around this time. Kim is regularly seen smoking or holding cigarettes in state approved photographs.[255]

Kim (holding envelope) with Chung Eui-yong. Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong (on the right) is said to be very close to him.

On 25 July 2012, North Korean state media reported for the first time that Kim Jong Un was married to Ri Sol Ju.[258][259] Ri, who was believed to be in her early 20s, had been accompanying Kim Jong Un to public appearances for several weeks prior to the announcement.[259] According to a South Korean analyst, Kim Jong Il had hastily arranged the marriage after suffering a stroke in 2008, the two married in 2009, and they had a son in 2010.[260][261] Dennis Rodman, after visiting in 2013, reported that they had a second newborn child, a daughter named Ju Ae.[260][262][263] According to South Korean intelligence sources, the couple is believed to have had a third child, a daughter, in February 2017.[260][264][265]

On 18 November 2022, Kim Jong Un was seen reviewing key military arsenals with his daughter Ju Ae.[266] The two were seen together again at a gathering with missile scientists later in the same month.[267] She has since routinely accompanied him.[268]

Kim is sometimes accompanied by his younger sister Kim Yo Jong,[9] who is said to be instrumental in creating his public image and organising public events for him.[269] According to Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul, and others, the promotion of Yo Jong and others is a sign that "the Kim Jong Un regime has ended its co-existence with the remnants of the previous Kim Jong Il regime by carrying out a generational replacement in the party's key elite posts".[270]

On 13 February 2017, Kim Jong Nam, the exiled half-brother of Kim Jong Un, was assassinated with the nerve agent VX while walking through Terminal 2 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.[271] Kim Jong Un is widely believed to have ordered the assassination.[272][273]

Select[lower-greek 1] family tree of North Korea's ruling Kim family[lower-greek 2][lower-greek 3][lower-greek 4]
Kim Song-ryeong 1810-1899 Kim Ung-u 1848–1878 Kim Bo-hyon 1871–1955 Kim Hyong-jik 1894–1926 Kang Pan-sok 1892–1932 Kim Jong-suk 1917–1949 Kim Il Sung 1912–1994 Kim Song-ae 1924–2014 Kim Yong-ju 1920–2021 Kim Young-sook 1947– Song Hye-rim 1937–2002 Kim Jong Il 1941?[lower-greek 5]–2011 Ko Yong-hui 1952–2004 Kim Ok 1964– Kim Kyong-hui 1946– Jang Song-thaek 1946–2013 Kim Pyong Il 1954– Kim Sol-song 1974– Kim Jong-nam 1971–2017 Kim Jong-chul 1981– Kim Jong Un 1983?[lower-greek 6]– Ri Sol-ju c. 1986– Kim Yo-jong 1987– Kim Han-sol 1995– Kim Ju-ae c. 2012[lower-greek 7]–
Notes: To keep the tree of manageable size, it omits five out of the eight known children of Kim Il Sung. Other children not shown in the tree include: Kim Man-il, Kim Kyong-jin, Kim Yong-il, Kim Hyŏn-nam, and Kim Yŏng-il Korean names often have a variety of transliterations into English, which can be confusing. For example, "Kim Jong-chul" may also be written "Gim Jeong-cheol" or "Kim Jŏng-ch'ŏl" among many other variations. See Korean romanization for more information. Huss, Kan; Frost, Clay. "North Korea's First Family: Mapping the personal and political drama of the Kim clan". msnbc.com. Retrieved 20 January 2013. (Confirms many, but not all, of the birth and death years. See individual articles for more references.) Yan, Holly (16 February 2017). "The world's most mysterious family tree: Kim Jong Un's secretive dynasty is full of drama, death". Design by Alberto Mier. CNN. Retrieved 16 February 2017. Official North Korean biographies of Kim Jong Il list his birth year as 1942. The Korean calendar is based upon the Chinese zodiac which is believed to characterize one's personality. The year 1942 (Year of the Horse), in addition to being 30 years since Kim Il Sung's birth may be viewed as a better year than others, thus creating a motive to lie about a birth year. Official North Korean biographies of Kim Jong Un list his birth year as 1982. The Korean calendar is based upon the Chinese zodiac which is believed to characterize one's personality. The year 1982 (Year of the Dog), in addition to being 70 years since Kim Il Sung's birth, may be viewed as a better year than others, thus creating a motive to lie about a birth year. Birth year for Kim Ju-ae is not publicly known. She may have been born in either late 2012 or early 2013.