Meet Kim Jong-un, the new leader of North Korea

Kim Jong-unHere’s a biography of Kim Jong-un, the new supreme leader of North Korea, youngest son and successor of Kim Jong-il, the recently deceased leader.

Kim Jong-un (Korean: 김정은, IPA: [kim dʑʌŋ ɯn]), also known as Kim Jong-eun or Kim Jung-eun, formerly Kim Jong-woon or Kim Jung-woon (born 8 January 1983 or 1984), is the supreme leader of North Korea. He is the third and youngest son of his deceased predecessor Kim Jong-il and his consort Ko Young-hee. From late 2010, Kim Jong-un was viewed as heir apparent to the leadership of the nation, and following his father’s death, he was announced as the “Great Successor” by North Korean state television. He was declared Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army on 24 December 2011, and at Kim Jong-il’s memorial service, North Korean president Kim Yong-nam declared that “Respected Comrade Kim Jong-un is our party, military and country’s supreme leader who inherits great comrade Kim Jong-il’s ideology, leadership, character, virtues, grit and courage”. His accession is not expected to become fully official until top party, parliamentary and government officials meet to confirm his appointment as General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and chairman of the party’s Central Military Commission.

He is a Daejang in the Korean People’s Army, a military rank equivalent to that of a General. Kim is said to have studied computer science privately in North Korea. He obtained two degrees, one in physics at Kim Il Sung University and another at the Kim Il Sung Military Academy.

Read complete bio on Wikipedia

Photo credit: petersnoopy on Flickr