Person

Kim Jong Un

Son of Kim Jong Il and leader of North Korea since 2011; his birth year is unconfirmed

He took power after Kim Jong Il died in December 2011. In 2012 he became First Secretary of the Workers' Party and First Chairman of the National Defence Commission, and in 2016 Chairman of the State Affairs Commission. North Korea carried out four nuclear tests between 2013 and 2017. In 2018 he held inter-Korean summits with President Moon Jae-in at Panmunjom and Pyongyang, issuing the Panmunjom Declaration of 27 April and the September 19 Pyongyang Joint Declaration, and met the US president in Singapore for the first North Korea–US summit.

Show on the map

Where they went

Open the full map

OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors

2 related events

1
2011Kim Jong Un Takes Powerleader
After Kim Jong Il’s death his son Kim Jong Un inherited power, the third generation of the family to rule.
2
2018Panmunjom Declaration of 27 Aprilleader
President Moon Jae-in and Chairman Kim Jong Un met at Panmunjom and issued the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula.

People who appear alongside

Kim Jong Il1941 – 2011
Son of Kim Il Sung and leader of North Korea (1994–2011). Named successor in 1980; ruled as chairman of the National Defence Commission under "military-first" politics. North Korea gives his birth year as 1942
Moon Jae-in1953
19th President (2017–2022). Held three inter-Korean summits in 2018, beginning at Panmunjom

Themes this person appears in

Changing Unification Policies1948 – 2018
From “march north” to the Panmunjom Declaration — inter-Korean relations from confrontation to dialogue, through joint statements and agreements to summits (up to 2018)