Korea’s new prince unveiled

Kim Jong-Un is the youngest
son of the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il.
It is believed that he is around 27 years old, as he is thought to have
been born some time in 1983 or early 1984, although no precise date has been
confirmed. The North Korean regime is
extremely secretive and shares very little information with the outside world.

It is widely believed that
Kim Jong-Un has recently been chosen as the country’s next leader. His father is reportedly very ill and
recently Kim Jong-Un has been taking more of an upfront role in the day to day
governing of the country. In recent
weeks he was pictured on North Korean TV attending a military parade in Pyongyang, when he sat in the front row just two seats from his
father. This is the first time that both
Kims had been seen together in public at such an important event. The event fueled speculation that the younger
Kim is set to become the successor to the leadership of North Korea.

Kim Jong-Un is a Daejang in
the Korean People’s Army, which is equivalent to a four star general in a
Western country’s army. This is an
amazing rise for a man of such a young age, but Kim Jong-Un has proved to be a
very determined man who does not back down easily. It is believed to be for this reason that Kim
Jong-Un has been chosen as heir, rather than his older brothers, as they have
fallen from favour in recent years, for various reasons. However, Kim Jong-Un has a character very
like that of his father and it is believed that he will be the logical choice
for leader.

Kim Jong-Un is multi-lingual,
something which will stand him in good stead when dealing with other world
leaders, when he eventually takes over from his father. He speaks native Korean and is fluent in
English, but also knows some German and French.

What do people say about him?

It is difficult to know what
the Korean people really think of Kim Jong-Un, but judging from the positive
reaction shown on TV, when there were cheers and a display of excitement at the
appearance of both generations of the Kim dynasty side by side, it can only be
taken as a positive outlook. His recent
election to several key senior roles has been interpreted as being a
progressive step for the future of the nation

What has Kim Jong-Il done to change the country over the past few years?

Kim Jong-Un’s father, the
leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) also appears to be
well respected by the country’s people.
He took control of the armed forces in 1991, despite the fact that he
had no previous military experience.
Though his father died in 1994, Kim Jong-il did not take over leadership
until 1997, since when he has forged strong relations with China.

Relations with Western
nations have been strained in recent years, following the UN’s attempts to
disarm the country’s nuclear weapons programme.
The DPRK stated that it needed the weapons for security purposes,
following a breakdown of relations with then US president, George W. Bush and
because its neighbour, South Korea, was also alleged to be pursuing a nuclear
weapons programme.