History UsefulNotes / TheRulersOfNorthKorea

Kim Il-Sung is the patriarch of the Kim family and the founder of the [[PeoplesRepublicofTyranny Democratic People's Republic]] of Korea.

Kim Jong-un is something of an unknown quantity. He was born in 1983 or [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour 1984]]; when he took over, he was the youngest head of state in the world. However, as of 2020, he has lost the title and is the third-youngest. [[note]] The youngest is Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz (b.1986) and second youngest Finnish PM Sanna Marin (b. 1985)[[/note]] He attended school in Switzerland under the pseudonym Pak-un; those who knew him described him as awkward around girls, a lover of basketball, and good at sports (weird considering his [[AdiposeRex current reputation]]). He returned to North Korea in the early 2000s and attended the officer training academy at Kim Il-sung University. But beyond that, there wasn't much planned for him, because he wasn't expected to be the successor. Kim's older brother Kim Jong-nam was the original heir apparent to Kim Jong-il, but he lost that title when he was caught trying to sneak into Japan with a fake passport to go to Disneyland Tokyo ([[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer yes, really]]). Kim Jong-Un shot to prominence -- and his father's favor -- after that.

Brother of Kim Il-sung, uncle of Kim Jong-il, and great uncle of Kim Jong-un, Kim Yong-ju is eight years his brother's junior. He studied in Moscow and was a keen philosopher. His Russianized ways and more classical view of Marxism earned his brother's ire; his political allies were removed, and he himself was sidelined in favor of Kim Jong-il. Eventually, Kim Il-sung is believed to have physically attacked him. He spent the 1980s under house arrest, until Kim Jong-il brought him back in 1993 to serve as honorary Vice President of the DPRK, and then honorary Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, a post he holds to this day. He is at least 100 years old.

Brother of Kim Il-sung, uncle of Kim Jong-il, and great uncle of Kim Jong-un, Kim Yong-ju is eight years his brother's junior. He studied in Moscow and was a keen philosopher. His Russianized ways and more classical view of Marxism earned his brother's ire; his political allies were removed, and he himself was sidelined in favor of Kim Jong-il. Eventually, Kim Il-sung is believed to have physically attacked him. He spent the 1980s under house arrest, until Kim Jong-il brought him back in 1993 to serve as honorary Vice President of the DPRK, and then honorary Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, a post he holds to this day. He is 99 years old.

Brother of Kim Il-sung, uncle of Kim Jong-il, and great uncle of Kim Jong-un, Kim Yong-ju is eight years his brother's junior. He studied in Moscow and was a keen philosopher. His Russianized ways and more classical view of Marxism earned his brother's ire; his political allies were removed, and he himself was sidelined in favor of Kim Jong-il. Eventually, Kim Il-sung is believed to have physically attacked him. He spent the 1980s under house arrest, until Kim Jong-il brought him back in 1993 to serve as honorary Vice President of the DPRK, and then honorary vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, a post he holds to this day. He is 99 years old.

Kim Jong-il's younger brother. Allegedly [[TheCasanova a womaniser and debauchee]] during his teenage years, he is reported to have attempted to build a powerbase for a takeover of North Korea after Kim Il-sung's death. Kim Jong-il reported him to their father, and Pyong-il fell out of favor. He was ReassignedToAntarctica, being given various ambassadorial postings in Eastern Europe. He was North Korean ambassador to Poland from 1998 to 2015. Apparently he was something of a rare beast in Warsaw's diplomatic community, as he only ever attended Chinese, Russian, Algerian, and Syrian functions. He was transfered to Czech Republic in 2015.

Kim Jong-un is something of an unknown quantity. He was born in 1983 or [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour 1984]]; when he took over, he was the youngest head of state in the world. However, as of 2020, he has lost the title and is the third-youngest. [[note]] The youngest is Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz (b.1987) and second youngest Finnish PM Sanna Marin (b. 1986)[[/note]] He attended school in Switzerland under the pseudonym Pak-un; those who knew him described him as awkward around girls, a lover of basketball, and good at sports (weird considering his [[AdiposeRex current reputation]]). He returned to North Korea in the early 2000s and attended the officer training academy at Kim Il-sung University. But beyond that, there wasn't much planned for him, because he wasn't expected to be the successor. Kim's older brother Kim Jong-nam was the original heir apparent to Kim Jong-il, but he lost that title when he was caught trying to sneak into Japan with a fake passport to go to Disneyland Tokyo ([[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer yes, really]]). Kim Jong-Un shot to prominence -- and his father's favor -- after that.

Sister of Kim Jong-Un and heir presumptive. [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Allegedly as ruthless as her brother, if not more so.]]

Sister of Kim Jong-Un and heir presumptive. [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Allegedly as vicious as her brother, if not more so.]]

Kim Jong-un's elder brothers. Kim Jong-nam was the front-runner to succeed Kim Jong-il -- until he was caught trying to enter Japan on a forged Dominican passport. His purpose? [[IJustWantToBeNormal To go to Tokyo Disneyland.]] He was believed to live in Macau, China, but he did return for his father's funeral in 2011. He was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Kim_Jong-nam killed]] in February 2017 in Kuala Lumpur International Airport at the hands of, allegedly, North Korean agents. [[SiblingMurder Probably ordered by his half-brother]].

Kim Jong-un's elder brothers. Kim Jong-nam was the front-runner to succeed Kim Jong-il -- until he was caught trying to enter Japan on a forged Dominican passport. His purpose? [[IJustWantToBeNormal To go to Tokyo Disneyland.]] He was believed to live in Macau, China, but he did return for his father's funeral in 2011. He was [[https://www.nknews.org/2017/02/kim-jong-uns-brother-kim-jong-nam-reportedly-murdered-in-malaysia/ killed]] in February 2017 in Kuala Lumpur International Airport at the hands of, allegedly, North Korean agents. [[SiblingMurder Probably ordered by his half-brother]].

After Kim Jong-il's death, Marshal Ri Yong-ho, head of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, smoothed Kim Jong-un's way to power and oversaw the handover of allegiance from the military to the new Kim. In 2012, Kim was appointed Marshal, the highest rank in the KPA [[RankInflation not held by his father or grandfather]]. The grateful Kim pledged to share power with the loyal Ri and reward him with vast sums of money. Oh no, wait, we mean [[UngratefulBastard he had him executed]]. It wouldn't stop there; in 2013, Kim would execute [[EvilNephew his own uncle]], Jang Sung-taek; as he was the Vice-Chairman of the National Defence Commission, he was effectively the most powerful man in the DPRK after Kim himself. The charges against Jang were morbidly hilarious and included [[DisproportionateRetribution "clapping half-heartedly" and having a granite monument to Kim moved to a "shaded corner".]] There were even claims in 2015 that he had his aunt Kim Kyong-hui, Jang's wife, poisoned the previous year for complaining about her husband's death. (He didn't.)

After Kim Jong-il's death, Marshal Ri Yong-ho, head of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, smoothed Kim Jong-un's way to power and oversaw the handover of allegiance from the military to the new Kim. In 2012, Kim was appointed Marshal, the highest rank in the KPA [[RankInflation not held by his father or grandfather]]. The grateful Kim pledged to share power with the loyal Ri and reward him with vast sums of money. Oh no, wait, we mean [[UngratefulBastard he had him executed]]. It wouldn't stop there; in 2013, Kim would execute [[EvilNephew his own uncle]], Jang Sung-taek; as he was the Vice-Chairman of the National Defence Commission, he was effectively the most powerful man in the DPRK after Kim himself. The charges against Jang were morbidly hilarious and included [[DisproportionateRetribution "clapping half-heartedly" and having a granite monument to Kim moved to a "shaded corner".]] There were even claims in 2015 that he had his aunt Kim Kyong-hui, Jang's wife, poisoned the previous year for complaining about her husband's death.

Because there are hundreds of interests, bodies, and personalities within the Kim family whose competition and intrigues drives the North Korean government, it can sometimes get ''kim''possible 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.

Kim Jong-il's younger brother. Allegedly [[TheCasanova a womaniser and debauchee]] during his teenage years, he is reported to have attempted to build a powerbase for a takeover of North Korea after Kim Il-sung's death. Kim Jong-il reported him to their father, and Pyong-il fell out of favor. He was ReassignedToAntarctica, being given various ambassadorial postings in Eastern Europe. He was North Korean ambassador to Poland. Apparently he was something of a rare beast in Warsaw's diplomatic community, as he only ever attended Chinese, Russian, Algerian, and Syrian functions. He was transfered to Czech Republic in 2015.

Kim Jong-il's wife, and mother of Kim Jong-un and Kim Jong-chul. A Japanese-Korean woman who was born in 1952 as part of the ''zainichi'' Korean community, she was repatriated to North Korea in the 1960s. Her father worked in a sewing factory for the Imperial Japanese Army. She joined a dance troupe in Pyongyang, where she caught the eye of Kim Jong-il. As North Korea's ''songbun'' caste system considers the Japanese (or people who collaborated with them) the worst of the worst, most North Koreans have no idea that she has Japanese blood, and her real name is a state secret.[[note]]It's Takada Hime.[[/note]] "Ko Young-hee" is what most people called her, but the latest propaganda film about her life [[IHaveManyNames named her "Lee Eun-mi".]] She died of breast cancer in Paris in 2004.

!!Kim Yo-Jong.

!!Kim Il-sung - Suryong (Great/Fatherly/Supreme Leader), General Secretary of the Workers Party of Korea, Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, and Eternal President of the Republic

Sister of Kim Jong-Un and Heir Presumptive. [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Allegedly as vicious as her brother, if not more so.]]

As of April 2020, Kim Jong-Un seemed to have vanished, and [[OfCorpseHesAlive considering North Korea's lack of transparency, there was speculation that he was dead]]; rumors from South Korean Intelligence had it that a botched heart surgery has left Kim Jong-Un in a [[OnlyMostlyDead "persistent vegetative state"]].

As of April 2020, Kim Jong-Un seems to have vanished, and [[OfCorpseHesAlive considering North Korea's lack of transparency, there is speculation that he is dead]]; rumors from South Korean Intelligence has it that a botched heart surgery has left Kim Jong-Un in a [[OnlyMostlyDead "persistent vegetative state"]].

[[/folder]]

Sister of Kim Jong-Un and Heir Apparent. [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Allegedly as vicious as her brother, if not more so.]]

!!Kim Yo-Jong.
Sister of Kim Jong-Un and Heir Apparent. [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Allegedly as vicious as her brother, if not more so.]]

The world is still struggling to decide what to make of Kim Jong-un. On the one hand, among his first acts as Leader was to announce economic and social reforms, moving toward a Chinese-style semi-market economy. On the other hand, those close to him (such as Kim Jong-il's personal chef Kenji Fujimoto) describe him as almost identical to his father in personality. His moves since announcing reform have not been encouraging. He executed all those people who tried to help him, he's exacerbated tensions on the Korean peninsula, he's shut down the Kaesong Industrial Region, and he continues to promote North Korea's [[UsefulNotes/TheRestOfTheNuclearClub nuclear weapons program]] and [[FinalSolution threaten his enemies with annihilation]]. Will Kim Jong-un democratize the North and finally bring it to the modern age, or will he double down on the brutal autocratic rule of his father and grandfather? Will he even revive the Korean War? Watch this space.

Kim Jong-un is something of an unknown quantity. He was born in 1983 or [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour 1984]]; when he took over, he was the youngest head of state in the world, and he still is. He attended school in Switzerland under the pseudonym Pak-un; those who knew him described him as awkward around girls, a lover of basketball, and good at sports (weird considering his [[AdiposeRex current reputation]]). He returned to North Korea in the early 2000s and attended the officer training academy at Kim Il-sung University. But beyond that, there wasn't much planned for him, because he wasn't expected to be the successor. Kim's older brother Kim Jong-nam was the original heir apparent to Kim Jong-il, but he lost that title when he was caught trying to sneak into Japan with a fake passport to go to Disneyland Tokyo ([[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer yes, really]]). Kim Jong-Un shot to prominence -- and his father's favor -- after that.

Kim Jong-il's sister, born in 1946. She attended Kim Il-sung University, Moscow State University, and the Higher Party School. She met Jang Sung-taek as a student and later married him. Jang was a senior government official for many years, until 2013 when he was declared an enemy of the state, executed, and [[{{Unperson}} given the full Trotsky treatment]]. She was involved in the North Korean Foreign Office during TheSeventies and headed the Light Industry department of the government until 2012. She is the highest-ranked woman in the DPRK and the Korean People's Army, serving as the Secretary for Organisation of the Workers' Party of Korea. She has not been seen in public since September of 2012 and is known to have a heart condition. She is suspected to be dead, and her passing may have been what motivated Kim Jong Un to eliminate her husband. She and Jang had a single daughter who lived in Paris; when the daughter was called back to North Korea in 2006 and asked to leave her boyfriend, [[DrivenToSuicide she committed suicide instead]].

Kim Il-sung's second consort, mother of Kim Kyong-jin, Kim Yong-il and Kim Pyong-il (see below). She was last heard of in 1998, when she resigned from her post as Chairwoman of the Central Committee of the Korean Women's Association. She was reported to have died in a car accident in Beijing in 2001, but she has also been reported alive as late as 2011. She was confirmed to have died in 2014.

Kim Il-sung's second consort, mother of Kim Kyong-jin, Kim Yong-il and Kim Pyong-il (see below). She was last heard of in 1998, when she resigned from her post as Chairwoman of the Central Committee of the Korean Women's Association. She was reported to have died in a car accident in Beijing in 2001, but she has also been reported alive as late as 2011.

Kim Jong-chul was the obvious next in line, but his father considered him too "weak" and "effeminate" to be the leader. It is unknown if this is because he was simply overly sensitive, [[BuryYourGays outright homosexual]], or (gasp) concerned about the welfare of the Korean people.

Brother of Kim Il-sung, uncle of Kim Jong-il, and great uncle of Kim Jong-un, Kim Yong-ju is eight years his brother's junior. He studied in Moscow and was a keen philosopher. His Russianized ways and more classical view of Marxism earned his brother's ire; his political allies were removed, and he himself was sidelined in favor of Kim Jong-il. Eventually, Kim Il-sung is believed to have physically attacked him. He spent the 1980s under house arrest, until Kim Jong-il brought him back in 1993 to serve as honorary Vice President of the DPRK, and then honorary vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, a post he holds to this day. He is 97 years old.

Kim did have the distinction of being the last Korean guerilla to hold any territory on the peninsula itself after his raid on Pochonbo in 1939. That only angered the Japanese, who by 1941 had driven his forces over the Amur River into the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]]. (Kim's autobiography conveniently forgets to mention this.) Then the Soviets retrained him and his forces, turning the guerilla core to a group of battle-hardened [=NCOs=] and junior officers. They created an air force, by 1950 training Korean pilots in the latest [=MiG=]-15 jet fighters at secret bases deep inside Russia. Kim himself became a Major in the Red Army and remained one until the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII (he may even have been as high as Lieutenant-Colonel depending on the account).

At the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII in 1945, Korea was divided into American and Soviet occupation zones; NKVD director Lavrentiy Beriya tapped Kim to run the Soviet zone. In 1950, he convinced Stalin to allow him to invade South Korea and reunify the peninsula, beginning the UsefulNotes/KoreanWar. And Kim was initially successful; the Korean People's Army [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] the South Koreans[[note]] Since South Korea's American-backed president, Syngman Rhee, had turned out to be ''at least'' as AxCrazy and authoritarian as Kim, Washington didn't trust him with tanks, warships, or aircraft. As a result, the ROK Army of 1950 was pretty much nothing but light infantry, while Kim's Soviet patrons had been kind enough to outfit his army with all of the cool toys they could want[[/note]] and practically destroyed the American 24th Infantry Division[[note]] The Americans neither expected nor wanted hostilities in Korean Peninsula, which was considered a backwater at the time, so the 24th ID also lacked the hardware to take on Kim's upgunned tanks. The emergency reinforcement designated Task Force Smith was also deployed without armor or antitank weapons of any kind, with predictable results[[/note]]. The UN forces under famed American general UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur counterattacked swiftly with the landing at Inchon. By October 1950, Pyongyang had fallen, and Kim was pushed to the Chinese border. Then the Chinese jumped in, and with their help, Kim pushed the UN forces back south, until the Chinese found their supply lines critically overextended. Then the UN forces pushed back north to the 38th parallel, where a bloody stalemate lasted until the armistice that would pause the Korean War was worked out.[[note]]It's technically ''still'' not over; there's just a break in the fighting.[[/note]]

At the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII in 1945, Korea was divided into American and Soviet occupation zones; NKVD director Lavrentiy Beriya tapped Kim to run the Soviet zone. In 1950, he convinced Stalin to allow him to invade South Korea and reunify the peninsula, beginning the UsefulNotes/KoreanWar. And Kim was initially successful; the Korean People's Army [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] the South Koreans[[note]] Since South Korea's American-backed president, Syngman Rhee, had turned out to be ''at least'' as AxCrazy and authoritarian as Kim, Washington didn't trust him with tanks, warships, or aircraft. As a result, the ROK Army of 1950 was pretty much nothing but light infantry, while Kim's Soviet patrons had been kind enough to outfit his army with all of the cool toys they could want[[/note]] and practically destroyed the American 24th Infantry Division[[note]] The Americans neither expected nor wanted hostilities in Korean Peninsula, which was considered a backwater at the time, so the 24th ID also lacked the hardware to take on Kim's upgunned tanks. The emergency reinforcement designated Task Force Smith was also deployed without armor or antitank weapons of any kind, with predictable results[[/note]]. The UN forces under famed American general and [=WWW2=] hero UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur counterattacked swiftly with the landing at Inchon. By October 1950, Pyongyang had fallen, and Kim was pushed to the Chinese border. Then the Chinese jumped in, and with their help, Kim pushed the UN forces back south, until the Chinese found their supply lines critically overextended. Then the UN forces pushed back north to the 38th parallel, where a bloody stalemate lasted until the armistice that would pause the Korean War was worked out.[[note]]It's technically ''still'' not over; there's just a break in the fighting.[[/note]]

At the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII in 1945, Korea was divided into American and Soviet occupation zones; NKVD director Lavrentiy Beriya tapped Kim to run the Soviet zone. In 1950, he convinced Stalin to allow him to invade South Korea and reunify the peninsula, beginning the UsefulNotes/KoreanWar. And Kim was initially successful; the Korean People's Army [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] the South Koreans[[note]] Since South Korea's American-backed leader, Syngman Rhee, had turned out to be ''at least'' as crazy and belligerent as Kim, the United States didn't trust him with tanks, warships, or aircraft. As a result, the ROK Army of 1950 was pretty much nothing but light infantry, while Kim's Soviet patrons had been kind enough to outfit his army with all of the cool toys they could want[[/note]] and practically destroyed the US 24th Infantry Division[[note]] The Americans neither expected nor wanted hostilities in Korean Peninsula, which was considered a backwater at the time, so the 24th ID also lacked the hardware to take on Kim's upgunned tanks. The emergency reinforcement designated Task Force Smith was also deployed without armor or antitank weapons of any kind, with predictable results[[/note]]. The UN forces under US General Douglas [=MacArthur=] counterattacked swiftly with the landing at Inchon. By October 1950, Pyongyang had fallen, and Kim was pushed to the Chinese border. Then the Chinese jumped in, and with their help, Kim pushed the UN forces back south, until the Chinese found their supply lines critically overextended. Then the UN forces pushed back north to the 38th parallel, where a bloody stalemate lasted until the armistice that would pause the Korean War was worked out.[[note]]It's technically ''still'' not over; there's just a break in the fighting.[[/note]]