Little was known about Kim Jong-un when he became the leader of North Korea at the age of 27.
North Korea is now a global threat in a way that his father Kim Jong-il never did thanks to the somber, reserved, and rounded figure that was frequently the target of international ridicule in those early days.
Additionally, Kim Jong-un achieved a feat that no previous North Korean leader could: he invited the president of the United States to the negotiating table.
Historic discussions with the late US President Donald Trump and early efforts to normalize relations with the South, however, ultimately came to naught. .
Since then, relations between Pyongyang and Seoul and Washington have soured and become more tense.
The North launched the most missiles it has ever fired in a single day in November of last year, at least 23, one of which came down less than 60 kilometers off the coast of Sokcho in the South, the closest a North Korean missile has ever come to South Korea's territorial waters.
Under Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang conducted a record number of missile tests in 2022 alone, fired two ballistic missiles over Japan, and has continued to build up to a seventh nuclear weapon, which analysts predict will happen despite dire warnings from the US, South Korea, and Japan.
In 1983 or 1984, shortly after Kim Jong-un, the youngest child of Kim Jong-il and his third wife Ko Yong-hui, was born, a state-approved personality cult began to operate. .
According to myth, the Kims were a semi-divine dynasty with a special bond to the sacred Mount Paektu on the Korean-Chinese border.
According to that reasoning, the young Kim would be born with heroic traits and superhuman strength. He actually "inherits the ideology, leadership, courage, and audacity of [his father] Comrade Kim Jong-il," according to the statement made when he was appointed leader in 2011.
In five years after taking office, he executed his uncle, is widely believed to have ordered the murder of his half-brother in a Kuala Lumpur airport, and North Korea claimed to have developed a hydrogen bomb that could be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The word audacity was not out of place.
Even though Kim Jong-un lacked political or military experience, he was hailed as "the great successor" almost immediately after the passing of his father. As Supreme Leader of North Korea, he also assumed the titles of head of the party, state, and army.
At first, it was believed he couldn't succeed his father. Analysts instead focused on Kim Jong-chol, his older brother, and Kim Jong-nam, his older half-brother. .
However, Kim Jong-nam's expulsion from Japan in May 2001 and Kim Jong-chol's alleged "unmanliness" boosted the young Kim's prospects.
After being given a number of prominent political positions, analysts began to view him as the future heir.
Like his brothers, Kim Jong-un attended Swiss universities, but he avoided exposure to Western culture by returning home during breaks from school and dining with the North Korean ambassador.
His attendance at the Kim Il-sung Military University after returning to Pyongyang is known.
He was reportedly referred to as the "Morning Star King" by his mother, who was rumored to be Kim Jong-il's favorite wife.
One report claimed Kim Jong-un accompanied his father on the trip to China in August 2010, when Kim Jong-il paid a visit there.
When Kim Jong-il passed away, this was quickly confirmed because by that point, he was widely regarded as the heir apparent.
On April 15, 2012, Mr. Kim gave his first speech in front of the public as North Korea celebrated the 100th birthday of its founder, Kim Il-sung. He praised the "military-first" doctrine and declared that the threat to his country was "forever over.".
His relentless advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile program appears to have produced quick results. Four of the six nuclear tests between 2006 and 2017 occurred during Kim Jong-un's reign.
Although experts disagree on how far along Pyongyang's program is, Pyongyang also claimed in 2017 that it had tested a miniaturized hydrogen bomb that could be attached to a long-range missile successfully.
It also conducted a number of missile tests that year, claiming to have tested intercontinental ballistic missiles with a range that could reach the US. In addition, tensions with the US administration of then-President Trump rose as a result, sparking new UN sanctions and a heated verbal exchange. .
Nevertheless, Kim Jong-un unexpectedly extended an olive branch to Seoul in his new year's speech by stating that he was "open to dialogue".
High-level meetings between the two Koreas and a flurry of diplomatic activity that included them marching under a single flag during the opening ceremony of the Olympics followed.
Around that time, Kim Jong-un also traveled abroad for the first time in his capacity as president, taking a train to Beijing, North Korea's principal trading and ally.
In April 2018, the two leaders held historic face-to-face negotiations in Singapore to broker a deal that might result in the denuclearization of the North. He also tried to mend fences with Mr. Trump.
The two leaders met informally but mostly symbolically the following year at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing North and South Korea. Moon Jae-in of South Korea also joined them.
The US and North Korea's relationship, however, later deteriorated, and a second Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi in March 2019 ended abruptly with no agreement. After the Trump administration said that sanctions wouldn't be lifted until Pyongyang completely gave up its nuclear program, talks broke down.
After that, in January 2020, Kim Jong-un announced that he was lifting the moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests that had been agreed to during negotiations with the US and vowed that "the world will witness a new strategic weapon.".
Early in 2022, North Korea announced that the Hwasong-17, which was first unveiled in 2020, had been successfully launched. It was the country's largest intercontinental ballistic missile to date.
But in November 2022, Pyongyang's seventh ICBM launch of the year reportedly failed mid-flight. This is thought to be the Hwasong-17, according to a South Korean defense source.
Up until the appearance of television footage showing Kim Jong-un attending events with an unidentified woman, little was known about Kim Jong-un's private life. He wed "Comrade Ri Sol-ju" in July 2012, according to state media.
Ms. Ri's background is obscure, but some analysts speculated that she came from an upper-class family based on her fashionable appearance. According to rumors, Ms. Ri might have been a singer who piqued Mr. Kim's interest while giving a performance.
The couple has three kids, according to South Korean intelligence.
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of Kim Jong-un, is a senior official in the Workers' Party of Korea. She made headlines when she competed for her brother at the Winter Olympics in the South.
The de facto number two leader, in the words of South Korea's spy agency, Ms. Kim is in charge of "overall state affairs," including Pyongyang's foreign and defense policies toward the US and South Korea. The spy agency in Seoul, however, has previously been mistaken about North Korea.
It is unknown if his older brother, Kim Jong-chol, has a job in the government.
When Kim Jong-un ordered the execution of his uncle Chang Song-thaek in December 2013, it became the most widely publicized sign of a potential power struggle within the North Korean elite. According to state media, he had been preparing a coup.
Additionally, it is widely accepted that Kim Jong-un gave the order for his exiled half-brother Kim Jong-nam to be killed in February 2017 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Kim Jong-un may have undergone a major operation, according to rumors about his health that surfaced in April 2020, and his prognosis was uncertain.
The reports, which were based on the Daily NK newspaper in South Korea, appeared to be supported by the fact that Kim Jong-un had skipped the anniversary of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, the nearly legendary North Korean founder,'s birthday.
Concerns about Kim Jong-un's health have persisted for a significant portion of his time as the nation's leader. He put on weight during his ten years in office, which sparked speculation that he might have had diabetes or gout.
But by 2021, he had significantly lost weight, and even state television had expressed worries about it. He also appeared to be much thinner.
Observers believe Kim Jon-un's death or prolonged incapacity could result in a power vacuum in the nuclear state, causing new instability in the region. Kim Jon-un's children are reportedly too young to even be considered successors.
He made his first public appearance with his young daughter toward the end of last year, thereby confirming long-circulating rumors about her existence. The girl's name is reportedly Kim Chu-ae, and she is estimated to be 12 or 13.
The action stoked rumors that she had been selected as his replacement and prompted more inquiries about Mr. Kim's motivation for revealing her, including whether it had anything to do with his health.
