North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is believed to have turned 40 on Monday, but state media continued its decades of silence on his birthday.
Key points:
- Kim Jon Un is believed to have been born on January 8, however North Korea’s government has never confirmed the exact date
- The US government lists Kim Jong Un’s birth year as 1984, which would make him 40 years old
- South Korea’s intelligence agency believes he is positioning his young daughter as his potential successor
Mr Kim’s birthday is believed to be January 8, though his secretive regime has never confirmed the exact date.
The US government lists his birth year as 1984, which would make him 40 years old this year.
The birthdates of Mr Kim’s father and grandfather, Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung, who preceded him as rulers, are national holidays in the authoritarian state.
Kim Jong Un’s presumed birthdate, meanwhile, has always passed quietly without mention in media or on the country’s calendars.
The closest North Korea has come to confirming the date was in January 2020 when authorities acknowledged Mr Kim had received birthday greetings from then-US president Donald Trump, without mentioning the exact date.
This year, state news agency KCNA on Monday released pictures of Mr Kim visiting a chicken farm with his daughter and senior officials the day before.
Daughter may be Kim’s successor, South Korea says
South Korea’s intelligence agency said this month it believes Mr Kim’s young daughter, known as Kim Ju Ae, may be her father’s heir apparent.
It is the spy agency’s first such assessment of Ju Ae, reportedly about 10 years old, since she made her first public appearance in November 2022 at a long-range missile test launch with her father.
The girl has since accompanied her father to a slew of major public events, with state media calling her Mr Kim’s “most beloved” or “respected” child, and churning out footage and photos proving her rising political standing and closeness with her father.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) has a spotty record when it comes to confirming developments in North Korea, one of the world’s most secretive nations.
However, regarding Kim Ju Ae, it said it had conducted a comprehensive analysis of her public activities and the state protocols provided to her.
A senior general knelt and whispered to her when she clapped while watching a military parade at a VIP observation stand in September.
She was also photographed standing in front of her father at one point during a visit to the air force headquarters in November, with both Kims wearing sunglasses and long leather jackets.
In a New Year’s Eve celebration at a packed Pyongyang stadium on Sunday, Mr Kim kissed her on the cheek, and she did the same to her father.
Most of these scenes are something that had been unimaginable in North Korea, where Mr Kim is the subject of a strong and loyal following that treats him like a god.
The country’s state media is yet to make any direct comments on the succession plan, including whether Kim Ju Ae has any siblings.
Her aunty, Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, has also maintained a higher public profile in recent years, most recently mocking South Korea’s military for issues relating to its detection of North Korean weapons launches.
Mr Kim’s government is heavily sanctioned over the country’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, as well as human rights abuses.
Reuters/AP