February 21, 2025
SEOUL – Born in 1984 in northeastern Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was secretly anointed as the future heir to his father, Kim Jong-il, at the age of 8, according to the statements of Kim’s aunt and her husband, as detailed in a newly published book.
The book also discloses that the initiation of his hereditary succession was outwardly marked by the airing of a glorification song dedicated to him in 1992.
Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for Korean Peninsula Strategy at the Sejong Institute, has published a book, “The Kim Jong-un We Don’t Know,” to shed light on the untold story of North Korea’s elusive leader.
Cheong specifically discloses Kim Jong-un’s birthplace for the first time, along with his year of birth and when he was secretly chosen as the successor to Kim Jong-il — critical information that has for so long has remained unclear.
During a book launch event at the Sejong Institute in Seoul on Thursday, Cheong explained that the disclosures came from multiple interviews with Kim Jong-un’s maternal aunt, Ko Yong-suk, and his uncle, Ri Kang, in Washington in March 2021.
Ko and Ri were closely connected to Kim Jong-il and a young Kim Jong-un before they decided to flee North Korea in 1998. Their own son was born in the same year as Kim Jong-un.
“Kim Jong-un was born at Special Residence No. 2, located in the Samsok district, in the northeastern part of Pyongyang, on the north bank of the Taedong River. The guesthouse had a medical clinic and a delivery room,” the book details, based on testimonies from Ko and Ri.
Ko and Ri say Kim was born in 1984 and lived in the home of his birth until around 1986, when he moved to Special Residence No. 1 in central Pyongyang. It was only after Kim Jong-un turned 3 or 4 years old that his mother, Ko Yong-hui, told her father, Ko Kyong-taek, that she was living with Kim Jong-il.
Speaking at the event, Cheong explained that Kim Jong-un’s move to central Pyongyang was closely tied to the power shift between his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, and his father, Kim Jong-il, marking 1986 as a crucial turning point.
“By around 1985, Kim Jong-il’s influence had begun to surpass Kim Il-sung’s, effectively shifting the regime into a dual leadership structure. By 1986, Kim Jong-il’s power has surpassed that of Kim Il-sung, which means no longer needing to defer to his father,” Cheong told reporters.
“It was around this time that he moved to central Pyongyang with Ko Yong-hui, the woman he cherished most. From that point on, Ko Yong-hui effectively took on the role of his de facto first lady. Until now, the exact moment when Ko Yong-hui secured her status as Kim Jong-il’s official partner had remained unclear.”
Kim Jong-un’s designated as heir was set in motion much earlier than widely assumed by the outside world.
“Kim Jong-un’s praise song ‘Footsteps’ was performed in front of Kim Jong-il’s key confidants at his drinking gathering on Kim Jong-un’s 8th birthday. At the time, Ri Kang directly heard Kim Jong-il say, ‘From now on, my successor will be my Jong-un.’ He also heard the same remark multiple times afterward,” the book read, citing the testimonies of Ri and Ko.
“When Kim Jong-un’s uncle questioned whether it was too early to establish him as the successor, Kim Jong-il responded, ‘Because he takes after me.’ Kim Jong-il repeatedly emphasized Kim Jong-un’s boldness while stating that Kim Jong-chol was too gentle to be a successor.”
According to Ri’s account, most secretary-level cadres of the Party Central Committee were already aware that Kim Jong-un would become the successor to Kim Jong-il by around 1995.
Cheong also asserts that Kim Jong-un already had a position above the other power elites and was conducting solo on-site inspections prior to Kim Jong-il’s passing in December 2011 according to high-level intelligence and analytical examination of state media footages, including posthumous ones of Kim Jong-il.
In the book, Cheong asserts that Kim Jong-un does not have a son and that Kim Ju-ae is his firstborn, based on several individuals who have interacted with Kim Jong-un — among them Joseph Terwilliger, an American professor who has taught in Pyongyang and who cradled Kim Ju-ae in his arms when she was a baby.