On August 29, the Yonhap agency, citing South Korean intelligence, announced a new addition to the family of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. On the eve of the birth of a child whose gender and name are unknown, representatives of the National Intelligence Service of South Korea announced at a briefing. According to them, the child was born in February.

According to media reports, this is the third heir to Kim Jong-un. It was reported that his two older children were born in 2010 and 2013. But there is no official confirmation of this information.

Little is known about the family of the North Korean leader and his close and distant relatives. The Kim dynasty is in the RBC photo gallery.

Kim Il Sung (1912–1994)

Eternal President and Founder of the DPRK. Generalissimo. Grandfather of the current head of North Korea, Kim Jong-un.

Founder of the Juche ideology (Marxism based on national traditions).

He spent his childhood with his family in China, where he joined a Marxist circle, for which he was imprisoned at the age of 17. In 1945, he became chairman of the North Korean Organizing Bureau of the Communist Party of Korea (1945-1946). In 1948 he headed the country. In 1998, he was declared the eternal president of the DPRK.

Was married twice. The first wife died shortly after the birth of their son. The second wife was Kim Song Ae, who is believed to have previously been the secretary of Kim Il Sung's personal guard.

Since the mid-1950s, the DPRK began to tighten the regime. All North Korean students were required to return from Europe and complete an ideological refresher course. It was under Kim Il Sung that the entire economy of the country switched to strict central planning. Market trade was declared a bourgeois-feudal relic and liquidated.

Kim Jong-suk (1919–1949)

Mother of Kim Jong Il, wife of Kim Il Sung, grandmother of Kim Jong Un.

About Kim Jong Suk became known only a few years after her death. In 1972, she was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the DPRK, and then the titles of "heroine of the anti-Japanese war" and "great mother of the revolution." In addition, if the DPRK talks about the "three commanders", then everyone knows that we are talking about Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Suk.

Kim Jong Il (1941 (1942?) - 2011)

Great Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Generalissimo (posthumously). Eldest son of Kim Il Sung. Father of Kim Jong Un.

Kim Jong Il was born in 1941, although, as is customary in the DPRK, the official biography reduces the age of the ruler by a year. Like his father, he studied in China. Returning to his homeland, he began work in the party, initially considered the successor to Kim Il Sung.

After the death of his father, he led the country de facto for three years, without officially holding the highest leadership positions in the country. Thus, traditional Korean norms were observed, in particular the Confucian principle of filial piety, which prescribes the observance of a three-year mourning.

After Russia stopped cooperating with North Korea in the 1990s, the country was forced to look for new allies. In May 1999, Kim Jong Il traveled to China, and in 2000, a historic meeting of the leaders of the warring south and north of Korea took place. In October 2000, then US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright flew to Pyongyang, after which preparations began for a visit to North Korea in late 2000 by US President Bill Clinton. However, it never took place, and the new US President George W. Bush was in no hurry to restore relations with the DPRK.

Kim Jong Il died on December 17, 2011. The funeral took place on December 28. According to the South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo, they cost $40 million.

Ko Young-hee (1953–2004)

Mother of Kim Jong Un.

Ko Yong Hee is one of Kim Jong Il's wives and the mother of his youngest son Kim Jong Un. Before meeting Kim Jong Il, she was a dancer. She died in 2004 in Paris from breast cancer. In recent years, before her death in the DPRK, she was called nothing more than "respected mother." ​

Kim Chen In

Youngest of three sons of Kim Jong Il, grandson of Kim Il Sung.

In January 2009, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that out of fear for his health, Kim Jong Il had appointed his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, as his successor. He was educated in Bern (Switzerland), then studied at the military academy in Pyongyang. In 2010, he was elected to the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, became vice chairman of the Central Military Committee of the party.

After the death of his father in 2011, Kim Jong-un was declared the supreme leader of the party, army and people of the DPRK.

Very little is known about Kim Jong Un, and almost everything is from a book that was published in Tokyo in 2003. Its author was allegedly the chef Kim Jong Il. From the book, in particular, it became known that the mother of Kim Jong-un was one of the wives of Kim Jong Il, actress Ko Yong-hee.

Under Kim Jong-un, North Korea has pursued a course of economic development in parallel with the strengthening of nuclear arsenals. Several nuclear tests were carried out, an artificial earth satellite was launched.

Since 2016, Kim Jong-un has been subject to unilateral US sanctions imposed due to human rights violations in the country.

In 2012, it was announced that Kim Jong-un was married to Lee Sol-ju. According to various reports, the couple had a daughter, Kim Joo-ae, from 2010 to 2013.

Fourth wife of Kim Jong Il, stepmother of Kim Jong Un.

The last, fourth time, Kim Jong Il married in 2006. His wife was his former personal secretary Kim Ok. South Korean media reported that Kim Ok studied piano at the Pyongyang University of Music and Dance, and became the personal secretary of the DPRK leader in the early 1980s.

Lee Sol-ju

First Lady of the DPRK. Wife of Kim Jong Un.

On July 25, 2012, the Central News Agency announced the opening ceremony of the Rungna People's Amusement Park, where Kim Jong-un came with his wife, Lee Sol-ju. This was the first mention of the first lady as the wife of the leader of the DPRK.

Until now, almost nothing is known about her and her acquaintance with Kim Jong-un. Many observers note that her name and appearance point to a resemblance to a young singer who performed at one of the New Year's Eve concerts in Pyongyang in 2010.

According to one version that was expressed in the South Korean media, Lee Sol Zhu graduated from Pyongyang University named after Kim Il Sung, studied natural sciences. Her father is a professor at the same university, and her mother is the administrator of a large Pyongyang clinic.

According to another version, Lee Sol Zhu did not study at the university, but received her musical education in Beijing.

Kim Jong Nam (1971–2017)

The eldest son of the Great Leader of the DPRK Kim Jong Il and the brother (by father) of the Chairman of the State Council of the DPRK Kim Jong Un.

Even less is known about the eldest son of Kim Jong Il than about the current head of the DPRK. His mother was actress Song Hye Rim. The media reported that as a child, like his brother, Kim Jong Nam studied in Switzerland. There is no official confirmation of this information.

In 2001, Kim Jong Nam was arrested while trying to enter Japan with a fake passport in order to visit Tokyo Disneyland. He was deported to China, where he lived all the time until his death. On February 14, 2017, the South Korean Yonhap agency, citing a source about the assassination of Kim Jong Nam at the Malaysian airport.

kim jong chul

Elder brother of Kim Jong-un.

Born in 1981. The media wrote that Kim Jong Chul, like his brother, studied at a Swiss school. For some time (from 2003 to 2009), it was believed that he could become his father's successor as the leader of the DPRK. In 2007, Kim Jong-chul was appointed to a position in the Workers' Party of Korea.

Known as a big fan of the work of guitarist and singer Eric Clapton: the media reported that he was seen at the latter's concerts in 2006, 2011 and 2015.

Kim Kyung Hee

Daughter of Kim Il Sung, younger sister of Kim Jong Il, aunt of Kim Jong Un.

In 2010, along with her husband Jang Song-taek, she was appointed executor of her brother and, in the event of his death, was to become the guardian of Kim Jong-un. In the government, Kim Jong Il led the light industry of the DPRK, and her husband was Kim Jong Il's deputy in the State Defense Committee. In 2013, Jang Song-taek was charged with treason and executed. Kim Kyung Hee's death has not been confirmed.

Jang Song-taek (1946–2013)

Uncle of Kim Jong Un.

In 2013, Jang Song-taek was accused of trying to seize supreme power in the party and the state, as well as selling national resources to foreigners at unreasonably low prices, and was executed. Prior to that, he was deputy head of the State Defense Committee, was a member of the Politburo and headed the organizational department of the Central Committee, which was in charge of recruiting and supervised the special services. Many experts called him the gray cardinal, the right hand and mentor of Kim Jong-un.

Kim Yo-jong

Younger sister of Kim Jong-un.

Born in 1987. She studied at an international school in Swiss Bern in 1996-2001 with her brother Kim Jong-un. Possibly also studied at the military academy in Pyongyang after returning.

In 2014, Kim Yo-jong was appointed as the deputy head of a department in the WPK Central Committee. Kim Yo-jong is the only relative of the leader of the DPRK who holds an officially confirmed post in the country. According to South Korean sources, she is responsible for personnel appointments, as well as for propaganda.

Leader of the DPRK

First secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first chairman of the DPRK Defense Committee since 2012, commander-in-chief of the Korean People's Army since 2011, chairman of the party's central military commission. Son and successor of Kim Jong Il as leader of the DPRK.

It is known that Kim Jong-un, under the name Eun Pak (Un Pak), graduated from the International School in Berne (International School of Berne) and was fond of basketball, especially the competitions of the North American National Basketball Association,. The press wrote that in Bern, Kim Jong-un rarely appeared within the walls of the school, mainly studying at home, and had problems with academic performance even though, due to poor knowledge of the German language, he studied in a class where the children were for two years younger than him. Kim Jong-un dined in restaurants, accompanied by the DPRK Ambassador to Switzerland, Ri Chol, who was called responsible for managing Kim Jong Il's secret treasury,.

Until the age of 20, Kim Jong-un returned to the DPRK, after which his life was kept secret: the press did not have a single photograph of him (only his identikit was known) and no reliable information was published that he held any posts in government of the country. Some sources stated that he is distinguished by intelligence and therefore is the favorite son of Kim Jong Il.

In the second half of 2008, there were rumors in the press about a serious illness or even death of Kim Jong Il, in particular, it was reported that he had suffered a stroke. These rumors raised the question of a possible heir to the North Korean leader. Previously, the press published information that Kim Jong Il considered Kim Jong Cher too weak to be his heir, and his eldest son, Kim Jong Nam, was called too corrupted by the casino and Western culture,,,. As for Kim Jong-un, experts usually neglected his candidacy due to his young age,. Meanwhile, information has been preserved that Ko Yong Hee, in order to make the son of the heir to the leader of the DPRK, ordered officials to call him "king of the morning star",.

On January 15, 2009, the South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported that out of fear for his health, Kim Jong Il had appointed Kim Jong Un as his successor. According to analysts, this appointment came as a surprise even to the leaders of the Workers' Party of Korea,. Chang Sung-taek, the husband of Kim Jong Il's sister, who, according to South Korean experts, actually led the DPRK during Kim Jong Il's illness, was supposed to act as an adviser to Kim Jong-un,,. It is noteworthy that in an article published on the same day, the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, referring to its sources, named Kim Jong Nam as the future nominal leader of the country.

In February 2009, Yonhap published a report that Kim Jong-un was registered as a candidate for the elections to the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK. The media noted that in this way North Korea officially began the procedure for appointing a successor to Kim Jong Il,. Immediately after the elections held in March 2009, the press did not find any of the sons of Kim Jong-il, including Kim Jong-un, on the lists of those elected to the Supreme People's Assembly, however, in June 2010, the South Korean press reported that Kim Jong-un was all -taki was elected under the pseudonym Kim Chen.

In early June 2009, Yonhap, citing South Korea's National Intelligence Service, reported that Kim Jong Il had officially introduced Kim Jong Un to the leadership of the DPRK and the diplomatic corps as his successor. Later that month, the press reported that Kim Jong-un had been appointed head of the State Security Service by his father. In addition, the Chunan Ilbo newspaper reported that Kim Jong-un received the title of "Outstanding Comrade" (Brilliant Comrade).

In September 2010, the first large meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea since 1980 was announced - a party conference, at which, according to journalists, the appointment of a successor to Kich Jong Il was to be announced. Although many sources still claimed that it would be Kim Jong-un, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, at a meeting with former US President Jimmy Carter in Beijing in September 2010, reported that Kim Jong Il himself called the rumors about the transfer of power to his son " false rumors from the West. During the party conference, North Korean television reported that Kim Jong-un received the rank of general, took a seat on the central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, and became vice chairman of the party's central military commission,.

On December 19, 2011, the world media reported, with reference to the state television of the DPRK, the death of Kim Jong Il, who died on December 17 "from mental and physical overwork." Kim Jong-un led a commission of 232 people to organize the funeral of his father,,. Kim Jong Il's funeral took place in Pyongyang on December 28; the hearse with his coffin was accompanied by Kim Jong-un, who, after the death of his father, as the North Korean media wrote, became the commander-in-chief of the Korean People's Army and the "Supreme Leader" of the state. However, in the foreign press it was assumed that it was not he who would play the main role in the leadership of the country, but Jang Song Taek, the husband of Kim Jong Il's sister,,,,,,.

At the party conference of the Workers' Party of Korea, held in April 2012, Kim Jong-un received the position of first secretary of the party. This position was established specifically for him, and Kim Jong Il was named "eternal general secretary". As news agencies noted, thereby Kim Jong-un finally established himself as the new leader of the party and the DPRK,. At the same party conference, he headed the central military commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and was appointed the first chairman of the DPRK Defense Committee,. In July 2012, Kim Jong-un was awarded the highest military rank in the DPRK, marshal,,.

According to press reports, Kim Jong-un is overweight (90 kilograms with a height of 175 centimeters), as well as diabetes and high blood pressure. According to those who saw him live, he is very similar in appearance to his father,. Kenji Fujimoto, a Japanese chef who briefly cooked in Pyongyang for Kim Jong Il, claimed that Kim Jong Un liked to eat live fish sushi, wore a T-shirt with a picture of Mel Gibson, Kim Jong Il's favorite actor , and together with his father participated in "pleasure parties", in which naked ballerinas danced in front of them to American music.

In July 2012, state television named the name of Kim Jong-un's wife - Lee Sol-ju (Ri Sol-ju), Western media identified her with the singer who bore the same name,. Kim Jong-un has a child who was born in the fall of 2010 or the winter of 2010-2011. According to some reports, Kim Jong Il insisted that Kim Jong-un have a child.

Used materials

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un married to Ri Sol-ju. - BBC News, 25.07.2012

Joohee Cho, Akiko Fujita. North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un Gets Married. - ABC News, 25.07.2012

Kim Jong-Un named "Marshal" of NKorea. - Agence France-Presse, 22.07.2012

N.Korean leader Kim Jong-un takes top army rank. - Reuters, 18.07.2012

Kim Jong Un Announcement: North Korea Promotes Leader To Military "s Top Rank. - The Associated Press, 17.07.2012

Kim Jong Un Elected First Chairman of NDC of DPRK (Urgent). - Korean Central News Agency, 13.04.2012

Kim Jong-un Named 1st Secretary of the Workers Party. - The Chosun Ilbo, 12.04.2012

Kim Jong Un appointed as chairman of WPK's Central Military Commission. - Xinhua, 12.04.2012

As Rocket Launching Nears, North Korea Continues Shift to New "Supreme Leader". - The New York Times, 12.04.2012

N. Korea "s leader Kim Jong-Un fared poorly in Swiss school: report. - Agence France-Presse, 02.04.2012

North Korea calls Kim Jong Un "supreme leader". - The Associated Press, 29.12.2011

North Korean state television broadcasts live the tears and hysteria of the people of the country, watching the funeral of their leader. - NTV, 28.12.2011

The funeral of Kim Jong Il: a parade of 100 thousand soldiers and a national hysteria. - News, 28.12.2011

Sung-won Shim, Kiyoshi Takenaka. North Korean power-behind-throne emerges as neighbors meet. - Reuters, 25.12.2011

North Korea: Kim Jong-un hailed "supreme commander". - BBC News, 24.12.2011

Le dirigeant nord-coreen Kim Jong-Il est mort, son fils Kim Jong-Un lui succede. - Agence France-Presse, 19.12.2011

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il dead, son hailed as heir. - Reuters, 19.12.2011

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il Dies. - Korea IT Times, 19.12.2011

A North Korean political figure, leader of the party, army and people, who has held all the highest state (Chairman of the Defense Committee, Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Marshal of the DPRK) and party (Chairman of the Labor Party, deputy of the Supreme People's Assembly) positions in the country since 2011. Kim Jong Un is also the youngest current head of state in the world.

Was born Chen Un in 1982 (according to the unofficial version of the world intelligence services in 1983 or 1984) in the family of a North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and his favorites - ballerinas Ko Young Hee. Chen Un became the second heir to his father's power - after his also illegitimate older brother Kim Jong Nama (killed February 13, 2017 in Kuala Lumpur).

According to unconfirmed reports, Kim Jong-un studied at an elite school in Swiss Bern. According to the official version of the DPRK, their future national leader underwent individual home schooling.

Since 2008, through the efforts of his own mother, he began to make his way to the political Olympus in connection with the news of the fatal illness of Kim Jong Il. The latter, before his death, appointed Chen-un as head of the State Security Service. December 24, 2011 (3 days after father's death) he was officially approved as the Supreme Commander, and a little later - the Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea. At that time, Eun was only 26 years old.

From the first months of his reign, Kim Jong-un showed himself as a devoted successor to the work of his ancestors - the DPRK continues to develop its own nuclear program, conduct missile tests, violating UN resolutions; In 2013, North Korea launched a satellite into orbit. All this is accompanied by Kim Jong-un's radical threats against Japan, the United States and their satellites. These statements further aggravate the international position of North Korea. The only and main foreign policy partner of North Korea is China, with which the DPRK has established trade.

In domestic politics, Eun also went further than his predecessors - he has already broken the record for the number of death sentences - at the moment more than 70 people. Also, the young leader was noted for organizing public executions of officials, including his own uncle, who was accused of attempting a coup.

Kim Jong-un carried out a number of economic and agricultural reforms, the purpose of which is to decentralize production, develop domestic and foreign trade, increase the number of small enterprises, create local economic zones open to international investment, and increase the welfare of the population.

Little is known about the young leader's personal life - he is married to Lee Sol Zhu, with whom he has two children - presumably born in 2010 and 2012. Kim Jong-un is a fan of world pop culture, in particular, he likes to watch NBA matches, films with Mel Gibson and is a fan of Manchester United. According to 2009 data, Jong-un had diabetes and suffered from hypertension caused by obesity. This also contributes to his craving for smoking.

In 2014, the action comedy The Interview was released worldwide, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, in which Kim Jong-un was the main antagonist. The government of the DPRK has repeatedly protested and sharply criticized the film, which, nevertheless, was released in limited release in cinemas and on the Internet.

“When I go up to the restaurant, I see an unusually large photograph in a massive frame. At first it seems to me that it depicts a plump, gloomy lesbian in an ugly apron, tossing a dead fish on a hot frying pan. I look closely and realize that this is actually young Kim Chen Il without glasses demonstrating his culinary genius."

Writer Travis Jeppsen (Russian readers know him from the novel "Victims") was unusually lucky: he became the first US citizen in history who was allowed to take a Korean language course at Pyongyang University. In May 2018, a few days before, his book "See you in Pyongyang: Kim Jong-un's trip to North Korea" was published.

This is a portrait of a country that is rapidly changing. On the one hand, North Korea remains extremely ideological and closed, and its daily life is filled with paranoia. On the other hand, this is a society where everything is now decided by money, an unheard-of class stratification has begun, the younger generation is obsessed with foreign goods that penetrate the border, despite the strictest control and international sanctions. Travis Jeppsen describes the dolce vita in bars, restaurants and clubs, where a cup of Austrian coffee costs the average North Korean citizen a monthly salary of three dollars.

This is the new reality under Kim Jong Un. On the one hand, capitalist activity is illegal, on the other hand, many people are involved in it, and those who have succeeded do not hesitate to demonstrate their wealth.

"See you in Pyongyang" is an unusual book: not a political analysis, but a private diary that will remind the reader of the travel notes of Paul Bowles and Bruce Chatwin. Nobody wrote about North Korea like that.

Absolutely everything is forbidden until they tell you that it is allowed.

“In many countries, you are allowed to do what you want, if there is no law prohibiting it. In North Korea, the opposite is true: absolutely everything is prohibited until you are told that it is allowed,” explains one of the foreigners living in Pyongyang. Constant surveillance, overt and covert surveillance, the inability to stay alone is very difficult for a foreigner to endure, and at the same time, Travis Jeppsen admits that he is obsessed with the DPRK. The author of the book "See you in Pyongyang" spoke about the reasons for his passionate interest in this country and about how it is changing in an interview with Radio Liberty.

You compare yourself to a moth that flies into a flame because you are obsessed with its riddle. But what is the mystery of the DPRK? What attracted you to this country so much?

Information does not enter the DPRK and does not leave it

“Obviously, this country is one of the last great mysteries on our planet. North Korea is hard to get into, and quite deliberately surrounds itself with mystery. Information does not enter the DPRK and does not leave it. For a writer, such material is extremely attractive. How can this country exist in the 21st century when the rest of the world is so interconnected? I started traveling to North Korea in 2012 and writing articles for magazines I have been collaborating with for a long time: Artforum and Art in America. But if in 2016 there was no opportunity to enroll in a Korean language course and spend a significant amount of time in the DPRK, I would not have been able to write a book.

– What did you see in North Korea that impressed you the most?

- A lot of things. The admiration and smiles on the children's faces when they saw a foreigner for the first time in their lives. The incredible hospitality of the people who took care of us: despite the highly regulated nature of tourism in North Korea, they tried to please us in everything, often changing the rules for us. A view of a middle-aged gentleman smoking an electronic cigarette in one of Pyongyang's posh cafes. And this day, when I was dragged onto the stage in the dolphinarium to participate in the hoop spinning contest - then I shamefully lost to the Korean!

- You describe the terrible famine of the 90s, when millions of people died, and the relative prosperity of today. Some privileged families can even afford quite a luxurious life. How did this miracle happen?

– The famine taught a cruel lesson of market capitalism: it is a “do it or you die” type of economy. When the rationing system collapsed, people realized that they could no longer rely on the state and had to run their own business if they wanted to survive.

When the rationing system collapsed, people realized that they could no longer rely on the state. Everyone has become buyers and sellers to varying degrees.

The current formation of the middle class, rich and super-rich in the DPRK began in those famine years. In the days of Kim Jong Il, the authorities from time to time tried to stop market activity, but this caused discontent among the population. Everyone has become buyers and sellers to varying degrees. Kim Jong-un not only legitimized many of these enterprises, but also allowed them to expand, while refusing to call what is happening capitalism. Instead, the North Koreans talk about "our version of socialism."

- It is obvious that the USSR, and today's Russia, are largely responsible for what happened in North Korea. I think that without their help the regime would have collapsed long ago.​Do you agree with this?

- Of course, the USSR, together with the United States, were responsible for the division of the Korean Peninsula and the creation of the DPRK.

The collapse of the USSR was one of the main reasons for the collapse of the North Korean economy, from which the country has not yet recovered.

During the first years of its existence, before the war, North Korea was a satellite of the USSR, advisers from Moscow received b O most important decisions, and Kim Il Sung was just a puppet. But North Korea outlived the Soviet Union for a long time - while the collapse of the USSR became one of the main reasons for the collapse of the North Korean economy, from which the country has not yet recovered. But I don't think modern Russia should be blamed for the fact that North Korea still exists. The two countries have economic ties: the DPRK sends lumberjacks and builders to Russia, and a few years ago Russia wrote off all the debts of the DPRK, it was a symbolic gesture, because it is known that North Korea does not return the money ... But not Russia, but China supports the DPRK economy over the past three decades.

– You write that "the whole country has become a huge underground crime syndicate operating under the guise of socialism." How does this system work?

If you want to do business, you need an official patron who you pay, and he pays his superiors

– I am not a big fan of neo-liberalism, and capitalism as such. Even if such an economy is somehow regulated, it is still inherently vicious. So can I say that the way they do it in North Korea - if you want to do business, you need an official patron who you pay, and he pays his superiors, and so on to the very top - what a nepotism Is capitalism a more vicious system than capitalism in the so-called developed world, where it also breeds pervasive and harmful inequalities?

North Korea has learned under Kim Jong Un that neoliberalism, whatever it may be, is the main economic doctrine of the 21st century. Isolationism—whether it comes from outside through sanctions, or imposed on the population by the regime—simply doesn't work anymore.

Q: You point out that Western journalists have an unwritten rule not to report anything positive about North Korea. But I didn't find anything "positive" in your book either. Is there something good in the DPRK?

The inhabitants of the DPRK are not at all like brainwashed fanatics who know nothing about the world around them.

​– Almost every journalist or documentary filmmaker travels to the DPRK, imagining in advance that O this country, and then looking for examples that confirm his ideas about the horrors that are happening there. I decided not to follow this path of bias. I went there without any prejudice and decided to describe what appears to me to be a transitional society. I actually found a lot of positive things, which I wrote about. I think that art and music are wonderful - they are very exciting to me. Pyongyang is a beautiful city, and its appeal is only enhanced by the architectural innovations that came about under Kim Jong-un. North Korea has wonderful mountains and pristine beaches. But most importantly, I have great admiration for people who have experienced terrible torment and hardship in recent years and at the same time welcome any foreigner with friendliness, warmth and openness. They don't look like brainwashed fanatics who know nothing about the world around them. , as they are presented by foreign journalists. The North Koreans I have met are practical, sensible, enterprising, witty, and quick-witted. They behave with dignity in all respects. Given the experience they had, we can learn a lot from them. In any case, I succeeded.

It is a pity if my book gives a negative picture of this phenomenon. If at times I write about what I saw with irony or dark humor, this speaks more about my worldview, and not about the fact that I want to condemn what I describe. For me, irony primarily comes from deep love and affection. It is not a destructive force.

– You describe Kim Jong-un as both a tyrant and a victim of the system. In any case, he managed to change a lot in the country. Do you think that his willingness to talk to "enemies" lately is a sign of serious political changes in the DPRK? What is the essence of his reign and how far can Kim go?

– It must be understood that, unlike his father and grandfather, Kim Jong-un played no role at all in shaping the North Korean system. He just inherited it. Since he was then very young and educated in Switzerland, many people had naive expectations: "He has been enlightened in the West. Now he will open the camps, release the prisoners and call democratic elections." This is a judgment in the spirit of a six year old American who said: "When I become president, I will make a law that no one should work and get free ice cream on Sunday!" Good wishes, no doubt, but if Kim Jong-un had announced his intention to carry out democratic reforms on his first day in office, the generals appointed by his father would have immediately taken out their pistols.

For six years, Kim Jong-un has been cleaning up his environment

In general, there are naive ideas about how "dictatorship" works. Kim Jong Un does not sit on a throne and issue instructions all day long. Although the system of power is very mysterious and closed to outsiders, we know about the constant "palace intrigues". Various factions and groups vie for power, and while Kim makes most of the important decisions, it cannot be ruled out that he is being manipulated, fooled by flattery, or simply misinformed by courtiers pursuing their own interests.

Yes, this is already an area of ​​​​speculation, but perhaps right now, after 6 years of rule, Kim Jong-un felt confident enough within the country to take important steps in the international arena. This means that for 6 years he has been cleaning up his environment. The government he inherited from his father was filled with elderly conservatives, and the younger Kim cleared out most of it. Now, having rid himself of them and given power to his people, he felt that he had enough support to forge links with the outside world. Perhaps this is an overly optimistic interpretation, but in this respect I will call myself a cautious optimist.

– Doesn't the "post-truth" situation make the whole world somewhat North Korean?

– I don't think the term "post-truth" has any legitimacy at all. If I thought so, I would hardly write books. Even when I'm writing a novel, my work is based on a belief in the truth. But the fact is that the truth is always to a certain extent dependent on interpretation, that is, in many respects subjective. It's funny, but traveling around the world, I found that residents of totalitarian or authoritarian one-party countries, where the media are under tight state control, are more attentive and skeptical about journalism, O They perceive what is written with more doubt and know how to read between the lines. This applies to residents of the DPRK, China, Cuba - countries , where I spent a lot of time.

At the same time, people living in democratic countries, such as the United States, where freedom of the press is protected by law, tend to accept everything they see on TV or read in newspapers as an indisputable truth and do not question what is presented to them as "news", but actually filled with ideological bias. Authors such as Renata Adler have studied in detail the fall in journalistic standards. Of course, the rise of corporate media has contributed to this. I must admit that in this situation, the "post-Truth" state of the media in countries such as the United States looks more and more totalitarian, but it also indicates a fundamental drop in the level of education, a lack of developed critical skills in the so-called developed world.

– Are you afraid that the people who are mentioned in your book – the artists who do not work according to the canons of socialist realism, or your guides – may now have problems with the special services? Have you had to seriously censor yourself in order not to harm those you describe?

– As I pointed out in the preface, all the characters are made up, made up of the features of various people that I have met over the years, including refugees living in South Korea or other countries. So there is no one-to-one correspondence between any character and a real person. While working on the book, I constantly thought that I should not harm the people who still live in the DPRK. That is why the book belongs to the nonfiction genre popularized by Truman Capote in In Cold Blood, a favorite genre of writers such as Tom Wolfe and Joan Didion, who are associated with the "new journalism". There is no fiction in the book, everything happened one way or another, but I had to use the tools from the novelist's arsenal to protect my acquaintances.

- "I think that no one is able to change this system,"– your friend Alexander says in the book. Do you agree with him? Can you imagine the unification of the two Koreas?

– I do not think that the merger will happen in the foreseeable future. At the end of the book, I propose the concept of reconciliation. In a broad sense, this means recognizing the huge social, cultural and economic differences that have emerged in the two countries since the division of Korea, and the desire to understand each other and overcome these differences through exchange and dialogue. The government of Moon Jae-in in the South, which supports the policy of dialogue, has recently begun this process. If it continues, it will benefit both North and South Korea.

– Your book reminded me of Claude Lanzmann's film "Napalm" about his affair with a nurse in Pyongyang. Is there a place for love and sex in North Korea?

There is no sex education in schools at all

- North Korea, an incredibly conservative country, is distinguished by hypocrisy. As far as I understand, there is no sex education in schools at all. Yet there are signs that morals are softening. Twice, the last time I visited Pyongyang, I saw young people walking down the street holding hands. Even such a modest display of feelings a few years ago would have been perceived as something outrageous. I didn't describe the trip to the cave in the book. There were many stalactites in this cave that looked like male genitalia, and our guide happily pointed them out to a predominantly male group. She indulged in a few lewd jokes and, to everyone's delight, turned to the male tourists with the question "Which one is like yours?".

I write in the book that I saw several prostitutes on the streets at night when we left Pyongyang. And it is well known that there are people who rent rooms for an hour for young couples or for those who cheat on spouses. ​

- This is a creepy, but at the same time funny mode. From your book, I learned that there is a strict ban on photographing portraits or statues of leaders not entirely– everything must fit in the frame. What else did you find equally comical?

The language of propaganda is so pompous that it is hard for the reader to stop laughing. A remarkable expert on North Korea, Andrey Lankov, who studied in Pyongyang as an exchange student in the 1980s, spoke about North Korean magazines distributed in the USSR. Soviet dissidents read these magazines purely for laughs, because it was a radical version of Stalinist rhetoric.

During the fifth stage of subway construction, Kim Il Sung said, "Pyongyang subway must be good"

At propaganda sites visited by tourists, banalities uttered by one of the leaders are presented as samples of sophisticated wisdom. For example, there is a museum dedicated to the construction of the Pyongyang metro. It's interesting, isn't it? In fact, this is a huge palace, where hall after hall is filled with enlarged photographs, into which Kim Il Sung has been inserted with the help of a poor photoshop. This is not a museum dedicated to the subway at all, but the sanctuary of the great Kim Il Sung. In each hall, the guide enthusiastically informs you: "During the third phase of the construction of the Pyongyang metro, Great Leader Kim Il Sung visited the construction and supervised it on the spot. And he gave such instructions:" The Pyongyang metro must have electricity. "Or:" During the fifth subway construction stage, he said: "Pyongyang subway must be good." At such moments it is very difficult to maintain a serious expression on the face.

Biography

Kim Jong-un is a North Korean political, state, military and party leader who has been holding the highest state and party positions in the country since the end of 2011.

Supreme leader, leader of the party, army and people of the DPRK, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, first chairman of the DPRK State Defense Committee, Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, Marshal of the DPRK, deputy of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK. The third son of Kim Jong Il, officially declared the "great heir" after the death of his father. The youngest sitting head of state in the world. Person of the Year 2012 as voted online by Time magazine readers. Grandson of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung. In March 2016, he topped the ranking of the most influential millennials in the world (young people aged 20 to 35), compiled by the British edition of The Guardian.

On December 12, 2013, official North Korean news outlets published reports that due to alleged "betrayal", he ordered the execution of his uncle Jang Seong-takek. On March 9, 2014, Kim Jong-un was elected without the consent of the Supreme People's Assembly. He is the first North Korean leader born after the founding of the country. It is known that Kim Jong-un ordered the assassination of his brother Kim Jong-Nam in Malaysia in February 2017.

The reign of Kim Jong-un is marked by the continued development of missile and nuclear weapons, economic reforms, deterioration of relations with South Korea and Western countries.

Kim Jong-un was officially born on January 8, 1982 (the media give other years of birth - 1983 or 1984) in Pyongyang, in the family of the heir to the North Korean leader Kim Il Sung - the future leader of the DPRK Kim Jong Il and his third wife, former ballerina Ko Yong-hee, Jr. a son. Differences in the date of birth are explained by the desire of the leader to look older. At first, representatives of the DPRK stated that he was born on January 8, 1983. However, then the official version changed, and the authorities began to say that he was a year older. South Korean intelligence supports the first version: Kim Jong-un is younger than he wants to appear.

Kim Jong-un, under the name of Eun Pak, according to South Korean intelligence, graduated from the International School in Bern (English) Russian. (Switzerland, municipality of Muri-Bern)). Since 2002, he studied individually at the Kim Il Sung University and the Kim Il Sung Military University in the DPRK.

In 2013, Kim Jong-un was awarded an honorary doctorate in economics from HELP University, a private Malaysian university.

Party growth

In 2006, there were reports in the press that badges with portraits of Kim Jong-un were distributed to the leaders of the Workers' Party of Korea, which became the reason for talk that Kim Jong-un would be his father's successor as leader of the DPRK. In January 2009, the Trud newspaper reported that Kim Jong Il issued a personal directive to the leaders of the Workers' Party of Korea, where he named Kim Jong-un his successor, which was later confirmed by the South Korean intelligence services.

26-year-old Kim Jong-un in 2008 in Pyongyang began to build a separate residence. In addition, the real appointment of Chen Yn as a successor did not take place at the beginning of 2009, as previously thought, but in January 2007. This was reported by the Seoul-based Open Radio of North Korea, citing a high-ranking source in the DPRK. In April 2009, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that Kim had become a member of the DPRK National Defense Council.

In January 2010, news agencies, citing the South Korean edition of Daily NK, reported that the DPRK government declared January 8 - Kim Jong-un's birthday - a national holiday of the DPRK. This can be seen as another confirmation of the impending transfer of power in the DPRK from Kim Jong Il to his son.

In March 2010, Korean scholar Andrei Lankov's blog confirmed the appointment of Kim Jong-un as Kim Jong-il's official heir:

“New and, finally, reliable confirmation has been received that the choice of an heir has been made, and the campaign to raise him is gaining momentum. The youngest son of the current Leadership Genius, Kim Jong-un, has been appointed as the new Leadership Genius. Meetings in his honor were held throughout the country, and relevant materials were released, while formally closed. There are materials in the press, open, but not subject to distribution abroad. »

Leading the DPRK

Beginning of the reign

Kim Jong Il died on December 17, 2011 from a heart attack, but this was announced two days later. On December 24, in the central print organ of the WPK - the newspaper Rodong Sinmun, Kim Jong-un was named the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army for the first time: "We swear by tears of blood to call Kim Jong-Un our Supreme Commander, our leader"; later, on the night of December 31, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea officially appointed him the Supreme Commander of the country's armed forces.

On December 26, Rodong Sinmun announced that Kim Jong-un had been confirmed as Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of North Korea. Immediately after he became the leader of the DPRK, many compared him to Mikhail Gorbachev.

According to a BBC source, it was initially assumed that Kim Jong-un would share the rule of the country with his uncle Jang Song-taek (later, in December 2013, executed on charges of treason). On April 15, 2012, during a military parade dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong-un made his first public appearance.

Foreign policy

During his time at the head of the country, by the end of 2012, the DPRK entered the club of space powers, while violating two resolutions of the UN Security Council (respectively from 2006 and 2009), thereby causing a surge of indignation from the international community. In February 2013, North Korea successfully conducted its third nuclear test in its history. The actions of Kim Jong-un and other leaders of the DPRK, who ignored the resolutions of the UN Security Council, resulted in a very negative reaction from the UN Security Council, which tightened sanctions against the North Korean regime. In response, the leader of North Korea issued threats of a possible preventive nuclear strike against the United States. Shortly after the incident, on March 8, 2013, the DPRK leadership annulled the non-aggression pact with South Korea, signed in 1953 after the end of the Korean War. At the same time, at the Seventh Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un noted that nuclear weapons would only be used as a means of defense.

Socio-economic policy

Soon after Kim Jong-un came to power, the country began to carry out economic reforms similar to the Chinese policy of "reform and opening up." The attitude of the state to private business has become more loyal. A network of special economic zones was also created to attract foreign investment.

One of the first was the agrarian reform. It consisted in the transition to a "link" (actually family) contract. One family or two families living nearby got the opportunity to create a row, called a "small link". This "link" is provided with land for cultivation, and a significant part of the harvest remains the "link" itself. Prior to this, the peasants worked, receiving fixed rations as payment. The reform led to a breakthrough in agriculture. Already in the first year of its implementation (2013), a record grain harvest was obtained. In industry, state enterprises were actually transferred to self-financing, received considerable independence and began to build relations among themselves on a market basis.

The implementation of reforms contributed to the rapid growth of private enterprises and the standard of living of the population.

The process of spreading information technologies has intensified in the DPRK: in 2014, smartphones and conventional mobile phones were imported from China for 82 million 840 thousand dollars (twice as much as in 2013).

Alleged 2017 CIA assassination attempt

In May 2017, the North Korean government claimed that the CIA and the South Korean National Intelligence Service hired a North Korean lumberjack who worked in Russia to kill Kim Jong-in with a "biochemical weapon" that was both radioactive and poisonous at the same time, and its effect would be delayed by several months. North Korea has said it will seek the extradition of anyone involved in the assassination attempt.

Health

In 2009, reports stated that Kim Jong-un was diabetic and suffered from hypertension. He is a smoker.

Kim Jong-un did not appear in public for six weeks in September and October 2014. State media reported that he was suffering from an "uncomfortable physical condition". When he reappeared, he used a cane.

In September 2015, the South Korean government noted that over the past five years, Kim had apparently gained 30 kg of body fat, reaching a total body weight estimate of 130 kg (290 lb).

Personal life

Kim Jong Un, like his father, loves pop culture and follows NBA basketball games. In March 2013, former American basketball player Dennis Rodman, as part of the filming of the HBO show Vice, visited North Korea and took part in a gala dinner with Kim Jong-un.

According to the Daily Mail, Kim Jong-un is a big fan of the English football club Manchester United.

Kim Jong-un, according to media reports, has two children: the first child was born in autumn-winter 2010 or winter 2011, the second - at the end of December 2012.

In July 2012, the DPRK State Television reported that Kim Jong-un was married. His wife (with whom relations were supposedly legalized in 2009) - Lee Sol Zhu (리설주) - is a graduate of Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang. Her father is a teacher, her mother is a doctor.

On February 13, 2017, Kim Jong Nam, Kim Jong Un's exiled half-brother, was killed by a VX poison while walking through Terminal 2 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Titles of Kim Jong-un

Supreme leader of the DPRK, leader of the party, army and people (since December 19, 2011)
New star
Brilliant comrade
"Genius among geniuses" in military strategy
Marshal of the DPRK (since July 18, 2012)