Kim Jong-un
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Kim Jong-un

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Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un is the supreme leader of North Korea, the third and youngest son of Kim Jong-il (1941–2011) and the grandson of Kim Il-sung (1912–1994). Following his father's death in 2011, he was announced as the "Great Successor" by North Korean state television. He has held the titles of the First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, and also a presidium member of the Central Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Born
8 Jan 1983
Industry
Politics
Job Title
Leader of North Korea
Lee Kim
Korean peninsula

Video | Why has Pyongyang ignored Seoul’s overtures?

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has tried but failed so far to re-engage with the North after years of heightened tension.

North Korea

Video | Kim’s sister blames ‘gang of hooligans’ in Seoul for drone

Diplomacy

Opinion | Why China now needs North Korea’s denuclearisation

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North Korea

‘Gang of hooligans’: rebuke from North Korea signals icy ties with South

The unusually coarse language from Kim Jong-un’s sister shows that Pyongyang has no intention of reconciling with Seoul, experts say.

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Wreckage of a drone that North Korea claims originated from South Korea is shown in this composite photo, released on Saturday. Photo: KCNA/AFP
North Korea nuclear crisis

Opinion | Maduro’s fate in Venezuela hardens North Korea’s nuclear resolve

It confirms Pyongyang’s belief that leaders seen as thorns in the US side who lack nuclear weapons ultimately fall victim to US intervention.

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US-Venezuela conflict

North Korea’s Kim set to grab nuclear security blanket after Venezuela operation

Xi will ‘continue to support Kim if he sees the US and its allies undercutting China’s own influence in the region’, analyst says.

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China-North Korea relations

China’s role in Korean peninsula stability tested amid nuclear submarine moves

Seoul’s calls for Chinese mediation seen to underscore Beijing’s central role in preserving stability between two Koreas.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
North Korea nuclear crisis

Opinion | As denuclearisation stalls, China will shape stability on Korean peninsula

South Korean leader’s Beijing visit makes clear need to manage inter-Korean tensions and establish stability en route to denuclearisation.

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Ukraine war

Video | North Korean leader visits site of memorial for Ukraine dead

North Korean leader was also seen taking part in a tree-planting ceremony alongside his daughter Kim Ju-ae and wife Ri Sol-ju at the memorial museum site.

US-Venezuela conflict

The Maduro effect: US raid accelerates Asia’s drift away from Washington

Cambodia, Laos and North Korea are expected to tighten their embrace of Moscow and Beijing amid growing distrust of the US.

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Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro is led into custody by US Drug Enforcement Administration officers at an airbase in New York on Saturday. Photo: Handout/Reuters
South Korea

North Korea doubles down with missile test, slams ‘US hegemony’ over Maduro

The test also appears to indicate Pyongyang’s objection to South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Beijing.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (centre) inspects test-flights of hypersonic missiles in Pyongyang on Sunday. Photo: KCNA/KNS/AP
North Korea

North Korea links Sunday’s missile launch to ‘recent geopolitical crisis’

Kim Jong-un, who denounced the US capture of Venezuela’s Maduro, said achievements have been made in preparing forces ‘for an actual war’.

North Korea

North Korea fires missiles ahead of major party congress

The projectiles, launched off the North Korean east coast, are believed to have fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

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North Korea

‘More than a beloved child’: palace visit renews debate on Pyongyang succession

State media has released images of the first recorded visit of Kim Ju-ae, the teen daughter of Kim Jong-un, to the country’s most sacred site.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, his wife and their daughter (centre) visit the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on Thursday. Photo: KCNA via Reuters
North Korea

Why North Korea’s Kim is hailing ‘invincible’ Russia ties in new year message

Kim praised North Korean troops fighting in the Ukraine war for their unwavering bravery for the sake of ‘the brotherly Russian people’.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waving during an art performance celebrating the new year at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Thursday. Photo: EPA/KCNA
North Korea

Ramen, drinks, fan zones: how North Korea clones K-culture while hating Seoul

From food to photo booths, Pyongyang is imitating South Korean culture through what analysts call ‘subjective adaptation’.

China-South Korea relations

South Korea’s Lee Jae-myung to visit China on economic and nuclear mission

The pragmatic president is seeking to balance relations with Beijing while keeping Washington onside.

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North Korea

North Korea tests long-range cruise missiles after nuclear submarine progress

Days after unveiling a near-complete hull of a nuclear-powered submarine, North Korea shares photos of missiles being fired and hitting a target.

A North Korean long-range strategic cruise missile hitting its target on Sunday. Photo: KCNA via AFP
North Korea

‘Maximum deterrence’: why North Korea just revealed its new nuclear submarine

The unprecedented transparency from the normally secretive country shows a shift in North Korean defence strategy, analysts say.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | Seoul holds the key to US-North Korea denuclearisation talks

South Korea is taking steps to cool tensions – from moving to opening joint military drills to consultations to easing up on immediate denuclearisation demands.

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South Korea

South Korean webtoon slammed for heroine resembling Kim Jong-un’s daughter Ju-ae

Critics say the romantic comedy ‘Princess Goes to School’ risks softening perceptions of North Korea’s regime.

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Left: The cover image for Princess Goes to School, a South Korean webtoon on Naver. Right: Kim Jong-un walks with his daughter Kim Ju-ae in April. Photos: Naver, EPA-EFE
Korean peninsula

Video | Kim Jong-un visits new resort with daughter

The new facilities feature indoor and outdoor baths, as well as barbecue restaurants.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter Kim Ju-ae attended opening ceremonies for the country’s lavish new mountain resort on December 20, 2025.
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Year in Review

SCMP Plus Year in Review 2025: China

As the year comes to a close, SCMP Plus highlights the biggest China-related stories of the year.

Year in Review

10 most read Daily Pulse briefings of 2025

SCMP Plus looks back at the year’s 10 most popular Daily Pulse bulletins, covering China issues related to diplomacy, trade and economics.

North Korea

North Korea warns ‘mankind will face great disaster’ if Japan gets nuclear arms

Pyongyang’s state media said Tokyo’s potential move ‘must be prevented at any cost’.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (centre) attends what state media reported was a launching ceremony for a new tactical nuclear attack submarine in 2023. Photo: KCNA via Reuters
United States

Opinion | For Trump, the only communists to really dislike are those at home

The limited discussion of China in the new US national security document indicates that the US president’s focus is on domestic challenges to his authority.

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US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Busan, South Korea, on October 30. Photo: Reuters
North Korea

What North Korea’s war dead tribute reveals about Kim’s endgame

In Kim Jong-un’s public grief for fallen mine-clearers, observers see a strategic play to lock in a role in Russia’s post-war rebuilding.

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North Korea

Kim’s sister spotted with suspected luxury Chinese foldable phone

The device, seen at a hospital opening in North Korea, appears to be an ultra-thin ‘Magic’ foldable from Chinese tech giant Honor.

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