History UsefulNotes / TheRulersOfNorthKorea

They’re believed to be the parents of three children. A son who was born in 2010, a daughter who was born in late 2012 or early 2013, and a child of unknown sex who was born in 2017. His daughter, named Ju Ae, began popping up with him at public events in 2022 with many taking it as a sign he was grooming her to be his successor. Almost nothing is known about her or her siblings, who’ve never been publicly photographed or named.

Kim initially backed the Soviet Union during the Sino-Soviet split, building up a personality cult which influenced both Nicolae Ceaucescu in UsefulNotes/{{Romania}} and Enver Hoxha in UsefulNotes/{{Albania}}. Throughout TheSixties, Kim tried (and failed) to replicate [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar the success of the Viet Cong]] in South Korea, culminating in a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_House_Raid raid on the residence of the South Korean dictator Park Chung-hee]] in 1968. He would predict several times during that period that the peninsula would be reunified in 1972, but the raid would be his last attempt to reconquer the South. 1972 instead saw the adoption of a new constitution in North Korea, entrenching Kim's rule over the country. In 1982, Kim named his son Kim Jong-il his successor. But by the 1990s, things were falling apart. The total collapse of the Communist bloc, decades of economic mismanagement, and severe natural disasters were causing huge problems. North Korea could not feed its people, power its industry, or trade with anyone other than Russia, Vietnam, Cuba, and China. The UN estimates that between 500,000 and 1 million people died of starvation in what North Korea calls the "Arduous March", a period spanning the rules of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il (some statistics put the death toll as high as 3 million).

The younger sister of Kim Jong-Un. Considered to be the heir presumptive to North Korea's leadership, by virtue of being the closest adult relative in high favor, with all other possible contenders in the family tree being in exile, in disgrace, or dead. She is de facto in charge of the North Korean [[PropagandaMachine Propaganda and Agitation Department]], putting her in charge of what information is seen by the North Korean people and what image is presented to the outside world, and temporarily take the state duties of her brother while he underwent medical treatment; with multiple people, including South Korea’s intelligence agency, refering to her as the de facto [[NumberTwo second in command]] of North Korea ''as a whole''. Visited South Korea for government meetings during the 2018 Olympics, the first time a direct descendant of the Kim family has done so since the Korean War, and also marking the first time casual outside observers even knew she ''existed''. She spearheaded the two United States-North Korea summits in 2018-19 and is considered almost ''scary'' competent at her job of public relations, especially contrasted with the sybaratic excesses and megalomania of most of the rest of her family. Has become something of a minor social media celebrity due to being a young female government official from the world's most oppressive regime while looking cute as a button. [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Allegedly as ruthless as her brother, if not more so.]]

Because there are hundreds of interests, bodies, and personalities within the Kim family whose competition and intrigues drive the UsefulNotes/{{North Korea}}n government, it can sometimes get ''kim''possible%%why did you have to say that%%
to keep up with them. As a result, we've compiled this handy guide to the men and women (but [[HeirClubForMen mostly men]]) who run the world's most repressive and secretive nation.

Rumors of his demise started in 2008, when he missed the Olympic Torch Relay in Pyongyang. Scuttlebutt at the time was either a coup attempt or a serious bout of ill health; the latter is more likely considering that a French neurosurgeon was flown to Pyongyang to treat him that year. Kim would hang on until December 17, 2011, when, according to UsefulNotes/SouthKorea's intelligence agencies, advisors informed him of serious construction flaws ([[EpicFail including leakages]]) in a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huichon#Hydroelectric_power hydroelectric power plant]] [[PollutedWasteland near the city of Huichon]] that [[EnergyEconomy was crucial]] to North Korea's economy, and being [[BadBoss Kim Jong Il]], he [[ShootTheMessenger flew into a rage]] due to the obvious YouHaveFailedMe, got on the [[CoolTrain North Korean]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korean_leaders%27_trains Leader's train]][[note]]Observers claim that [[GenerationXerox like his father before him and his successor]] ([[HereditaryRepublic who is also his son]]), Kim Jong-Il hated flying and thus travelled everywhere by large and ludicrously luxurious trains.[[/note]] to inspect the site, and died of a heart attack on the train.]][[note]] However, it was more of a CriticalExistenceFailure because Kim Jong was already very [[IncrediblyLamePun ill]] since at least 2008, as previously mentioned on this page. Between 2008 to his death, the worldwide media [[WildMassGuessing speculated]] what happened to him, ranging from "normal" sounding demises such as cancer, stroke, heart attacks or dementia, to crazier theories like being a PuppetKing due to incapacitation (such as senility) or a secret overthrow, victimised by a CostumeCopycat, or dying and getting a DeadPersonImpersonation or even an ElCidPloy.[[/note]] The world at large only found out a week later. His death was met with similar hysterical reactions as his father's was, because apparently in North Korea it is a severely punishable offense to not grieve hysterically enough when the leader dies. He left the family business to...

The younger sister of Kim Jong-Un. Considered to be the heir presumptive to North Korea's leadership, by virtue of being the closest adult relative in high favor, with all other possible contenders in the family tree being in exile, in disgrace, or dead. She is de facto in charge of the North Korean [[PropagandaMachine Propaganda and Agitation Department]], putting her in charge of what information is seen by the North Korean people and what image is presented to the outside world; with multiple people, including South Korea’s intelligence agency, refering to her as the de facto [[NumberTwo second in command]] of North Korea ''as a whole''. Visited South Korea for government meetings during the 2018 Olympics, the first time a direct descendant of the Kim family has done so since the Korean War, and also marking the first time casual outside observers even knew she ''existed''. She spearheaded the two United States-North Korea summits in 2018-19 and is considered almost ''scary'' competent at her job of public relations, especially contrasted with the sybaratic excesses and megalomania of most of the rest of her family. Has become something of a minor social media celebrity due to being a young female government official from the world's most oppressive regime while looking cute as a button. [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Allegedly as ruthless as her brother, if not more so.]]