Shedding light on the untold story of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, a book titled “The Unknown Kim Jong Un” has been published. The book reveals the birthplace, birth year, and the secret moment when he was chosen as his father’s successor for the first time. The anointment of North Korea’s leader as a successor actually occurred much earlier than what the outside world assumed. Kim Jong Un’s praise song “Footsteps” was performed on his eighth birthday in the presence of his father’s key confidants, where Kim Jong Il declared, “From now on, my successor will be my Jong Un.”

Born in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, in 1984, Kim Jong Un was secretly declared as his father Kim Jong Il’s future heir when he was just eight years old. Dr. Cheong Seong-chang, Director of the Korea Peninsula Strategy Center at the Sejong Institute, published a book titled “The Unknown Kim Jong Un” to shed light on the North Korean leader’s untold story. The book also recounts how his ascent to the throne through inheritance was explicitly indicated in 1992 with a celebratory song dedicated to him.

“THE UNKNOWN KIM JONG UN” The book guides us through the birthplace, birth year, and the moment when Kim Jong Il’s successor was secretly chosen for Kim Jong Un for the first time. Kim Jong Un was born in the 2nd Special Residence in the Samsok region on the north bank of the Taedong River in the northeastern part of Pyongyang. The guesthouse included a health clinic and a delivery room. The relocation of Kim Jong Un to the center of Pyongyang was closely tied to the power shift between his grandfather Kim Il Sung and father.

POWER STRUGGLE IN NORTH KOREA By 1985, Kim Jong Il’s influence had begun to surpass that of Kim Il Sung, effectively shifting the regime towards a dual leadership structure. By 1986, Kim Jong Il’s power had eclipsed that of Kim Il Sung, rendering the need to submit to his father obsolete. Around that time, he moved to the center of Pyongyang with Ko Yong Hui, his most esteemed woman, who subsequently assumed the role of his first lady. The exact moment when Ko Yong Hui secured her status as Kim Jong Il’s official partner had remained uncertain so far.

APPOINTMENT AS KIM JONG UN’S SUCCESSOR

The appointment of Kim Jong Un as a successor actually happened much earlier than what the outside world presumed. Kim Jong Un’s praise song “Footsteps” was performed on his eighth birthday in front of his father’s close confidants. At that moment, Kim Jong Il asserted, “From now on, my successor will be my Jong Un.” When Kim Jong Il’s uncle inquired whether it was too early to appoint him as a successor, Kim Jong Il responded, “Because he resembles me.” Allegedly, most of the cadre at the Secretary level of the Party Central Committee were aware around 1995 that Kim Jong Un would be Kim Jong Il’s successor.