Kim jong un who is he

Animated by the optimism of one whose privilege made him believe anything was possible, he has prioritized both these issues and personally taken ownership of them—all part of creating and nurturing his brand.

For the toiling masses as well as for the elite, Ri, the glamorous and devoted wife, is an aspirational figure. Even as tension with the United States went into overdrive after a sixth nuclear test and the launch of numerous ballistic missiles during the summer and fall of , state media showed Kim and his wife touring a North Korean cosmetics factory. But what of the lives of the average people?

Kim may also be using the imagery of these amenities as a corrective, a way of undermining the dominant external narrative of a decaying, starving, economically hobbled North Korea. Of course, Kim still has enormous power and, like his father and grandfather, the willingness to hold onto it through extreme brutality.

He maintains control through purges and executions—punishments and acts of revenge he appears to inflict with relish. Kim has made it clear that he will not tolerate any potential challengers.

Kim Jong—un has overseen four nuclear tests and debuted ballistic missiles of various ranges, launched from multiple locations. For the past six years, Kim has poked and prodded, testing and pushing the boundaries of international tolerance for his actions, calculating that he can handle whatever punishment is meted out.

To a large extent, he has maintained the initiative on the Korean Peninsula, to the frustration of the United States and his neighbors. And as the U. Although that space launch failed, North Korea, despite international condemnation of the April test, had success with its next attempt, when it launched a satellite into orbit in December By portraying Kim Jong-un as a hands-on leader who personally ordered the rocket launch from a satellite command center, the state media framed their new leader as bold and action-oriented even in the face of widespread international censure.

Under Kim, North Korea has pressed the accelerator on nuclear and missile development and has codified its status as a nuclear-armed state by inscribing that description into the revised constitution it issued in Kim has overseen three more nuclear tests, and debuted and tested new ballistic missiles of various ranges from multiple locations, including a submarine-launched ballistic missile and, in July and November , intercontinental ballistic missiles.

North Korea shows every indication of making rapid progress toward the ability to threaten the United States and its allies, while also developing an arsenal for survivable second-strike options in the event of a conflict. In November , North Korea tested intercontinental ballistic missiles with a potential reach of 8, miles—putting the entire United States in range. Kim has presided over high-profile artillery firepower demonstrations, been captured in photographs poring over military plans purported to depict attacks against the United States and South Korea, and has issued inflammatory threats in response to U.

The rhetoric has also extended to threats against those who create negative portrayals of North Korea in popular culture. North Korean hackers destroyed the data of Sony Pictures Entertainment, the company responsible for producing the film, and dumped confidential information, including salary lists, nearly 50, Social Security numbers, and five unreleased films onto public file-sharing sites.

Yet, despite all the chest-thumping and bad behavior, Kim is not looking for a military confrontation with the United States. We have to learn how to incorporate new information about what is driving Kim Jong-un and how we might counter this profound—and ever evolving—national security threat.

However, Kim has carefully stopped short of actions that might lead to U. It is clear that he sees the program as vital to the security of his regime and his legitimacy as the leader of North Korea. He may well be haunted by a very real fear of the consequences of unilateral disarmament. The North Korean regime has often made reference to the fate of Iraq and Libya—the invasion and overthrow of its leaders—as key examples of what happens to states that give up their nuclear weapons.

If we unpack this comparison, we can envision how deeply Kim Jong-un might have been affected by the death of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. Graphic images of the bloodied Qaddafi ricocheted around the world. Contemporary reports described how Qaddafi was captured, hacked and beaten by a mob, shirtless and bloody, his body then stored in a freezer. The overthrow of regimes hitherto believed to be invincible probably highlighted for Jong-un the potential consequences of showing any signs of weakness, and reinforced the brutal suppression of dissent practiced by the Kim dynasty.

Even without all these warning signs, however, it is unlikely that Kim would have given serious consideration to denuclearizing his country. He has relied on military demonstrations and provocative actions to get his way, and has no experience in the arts of negotiation, compromise, and diplomacy.

General Assembly in September—it would take a very brave North Korean official to counsel dialogue and efforts to mollify Washington and Beijing. But he may be reaching a critical point where he has to make a strategic choice.

At the same time, international pressure on North Korea has never been greater. The combined weight of all these pressures, internal and external, on North Korea, coming precisely at a time of rising expectations within the country, may overwhelm the regime—unless Kim learns to dial back his aggression.

That, of course, is a big if. I still agree with the U. North Korea threatens to build more nukes, cites US hostility North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to expand his nuclear arsenal and develop more sophisticated atomic weapons systems, saying the fate of relations with the United States depends on whether it abandons its hostile policy, state media has reported.

Kim Jong Un admits North Korea policy failures at opening of congress North Korea's leader admitted that his economic development plans have failed as he opened the nation's first full ruling party congress in five years. North Korea's Kim thanks people in rare New Year's cards North Korean leader Kim Jong Un thanked the public for their trust and support "in the difficult times" and wished them happiness and good health in his first New Year's Day cards sent to his people. China denies weakening sanctions enforcement on North Korea China has rejected U.

Kim Jong-un 'gets experimental coronavirus vaccine' from China China has given Kim Jong-un and his family an experimental coronavirus vaccine, according to a US thinktank. North Korea executed people to prevent COVID spread North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly ordered at least two people executed, banned fishing at sea and locked down the capital, Pyongyang, as part of frantic efforts to guard against the coronavirus.

Its silence speaks volumes. Why Kim Jong-un shed tears in rare apology North Korean leader Kim Jong-un shed tears as he publicly apologised for his failure to steer the communist state through testing times compounded by the coronavirus pandemic. North Korean missile shows Donald Trump's nuclear diplomacy has failed North Korea's unveiling of a new intercontinental ballistic nuclear missile ICBM will impact global security in the months ahead, according to one expert. South Korean official's death may have exposed intelligence gathering techniques: reports Reports that North Korean soldiers opened fire on a South Korean government worker after he crossed a maritime border last month sparked a rare apology from Kim Jong Un.

South Korea says slain man tried to defect to North Korea South Korea have said that a government official slain by North Korean sailors wanted to defect, concluding that the man, who had gambling debts, swam against unfavourable currents with the help of a life jacket and a flotation device and conveyed his intention of resettling in North Korea.

South Korea calls for North Korea to further investigate shooting of government official The South Korean government official was shot by North Korean troops after being found adrift near the rivals' disputed sea boundary. More news. Destruction after thousands of kilometres of storms form 2 hours ago. Australia reflects on those who made ultimate sacrifice on Remembrance Day. Bert Newton to be laid to rest 20 minutes ago.

Amelia Adams leads 9News winners at Kennedy Awards 41 minutes ago. North Korea has twice reached out to South Korea saying it's open to talks if conditions are met. This month, North Korea tested a new cruise missile it intends to arm with nuclear warheads and demonstrated the launching of ballistic missiles from rail cars as it expands its arsenal of shorter-range weapons threatening U.

Kim Yo Jong's comments were a contrast to a blunt statement by a senior North Korean diplomat earlier Friday that the end-of-war declaration could be used as a "smokescreen covering up the U. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said Pak's apparent demotion in July may have been something of a formality to show the people that he was taking responsibility for failures. The annual report by the International Atomic Energy Agency refers to a 5-megawatt reactor at the North's main nuclear complex in Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang.

The reactor produces plutonium, one of the two key ingredients used to build nuclear weapons along with highly enriched uranium. The official Korean Central News Agency said Kim held the workshop of military commanders and political officers from July to discuss ways to enhance the North's military strength.

It said it was the first such meeting since North Korea's military was founded. North Korea has rebuffed U. Little concrete progress came as Kim refused to give up his nuclear weapons but he did impose a freeze on testing them. A new appointment in his place on the presidium did not appear in the photos, and with those standing next to Kim all civilians, it appeared the military had been "pushed down the pecking order", said Ken Gause, a North Korea leadership specialist at CNA, a non-profit research and analysis organisation based in the United States.

After saying for months that it kept the coronavirus at bay, North Korea on Wednesday came closest to admitting that its anti-virus campaign has been less than perfect. North Korea is highly insular and it is difficult to pinpoint the situation within the country. But reports this week that China, its biggest ally, plans to keep pandemic border restrictions in place for at least another year have cast doubt on North Korea's prospects.

North Korea intimates World Health Organisation that it has not found a single person infected with Covid while it had tested more than 30, people for it. In , Kim held a series of high-stakes summit meetings with Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, to discuss the future of his advancing nuclear arsenal. But their nuclear negotiations eventually fell apart after Trump rejected Kim's calls for extensive sanctions relief in return for a partial surrender of his nuclear capability.

Which Kim is this — the one in the Netflix series? No, no, this is the real deal — Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader. Is he taking inspiration from our khaps? Hundreds of graduates of orphan schools "volunteered to work in difficult fields", according to reports by state news agency KCNA. The reports did not specify the orphans' ages, but said they had graduated from middle schools, and photos published in state newspapers showed youths who appeared to be in their teens.

A cyberattack in mid-May paralysed Colonial Pipeline, one of the largest US oil pipeline operators and the biggest in the east of the country, operating a system that serves 50 million consumers.

The U. Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it was not clear if the American delegation had sought a meeting with North Korean officials during her trip.