New book reveals that N. Korea’s Kim Jong Un was heir to father at 8 years old (2025)

SEOUL - Born in 1984 in north-eastern Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was secretly anointed as the future heir to his father Kim Jong Il at the age of eight, according to the statements by the younger Mr 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.

Dr Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Centre 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.

Dr Cheong specifically discloses Mr 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 Mr Kim Jong Il – critical information that had remained unclear for a long time.

During a book launch event at the Sejong Institute in Seoul on Feb 20, Dr Cheong explained that the disclosures came from multiple interviews with Mr Kim Jong Un’s maternal aunt, Ms Ko Yong Suk, and his uncle, Mr Ri Kang, in Washington in March 2021.

Ms Ko and Mr Ri were closely connected to Mr 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 the younger Mr Kim.

“Kim Jong Un was born at Special Residence No. 2, located in the Samsok district, in the north-eastern 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 Ms Ko and Mr Ri.

Ms Ko and Mr Ri say Mr 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 Mr Kim Jong Un turned three or four years old that his mother, Ms Ko Yong Hui, told her father, Mr Ko Kyong Taek, that she was living with Mr Kim Jong Il.

Speaking at the event, Dr Cheong explained that Mr Kim Jong Un’s move to central Pyongyang was closely tied to the power shift between his grandfather, Mr Kim Il Sung, and his father, 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,” Dr 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.”

Mr Kim Jong Un’s designation 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 eighth 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 reads, citing the testimonies of Mr Ri and Ms 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 emphasised Kim Jong Un’s boldness while stating that Kim Jong Chol was too gentle to be a successor.”

According to Mr Ri’s account, most secretary-level cadres of the Party Central Committee were already aware that Mr Kim Jong Un would become the successor to Mr Kim Jong Il by around 1995.

Dr Cheong also asserts that Mr Kim Jong Un already had a position above the other power elites and was conducting solo on-site inspections prior to Mr Kim Jong Il’s passing in December 2011, according to high-level intelligence and analytical examination of state media footage, including posthumous videos of Mr Kim Jong Il.

In the book, Dr Cheong asserts that Mr Kim Jong Un does not have a son and that Kim Ju Ae is his firstborn, based on several individuals who have interacted with Mr Kim Jong Un – among them Dr Joseph Terwilliger, an American professor who has taught in Pyongyang and who cradled Ju Ae in his arms when she was a baby. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK