The path of young power.
Speaking of Kim Jong-un, everyone knows that he is the third-generation leader of North Korea, but do you know how old he was when he came to power? Born on January 8, 1984, he was 27 years old when he took over at the end of 2011. This is definitely a rare occurrence in global politics. You know, many national leaders started out in the run-up, but he directly became head of state. This first record is the youngest serving national leader in the world.
Not to mention anything else, even the king of Bhutan was young when he succeeded at that time, but there was a parliamentary system there, and power was not so centralized. At Kim Jong-un's age, it is premature to be a CEO in an enterprise, let alone be in charge of a country's affairs. At first, the outside world doubted whether he could stabilize himself. After all, he didn't have much public experience before, but it turned out that he quickly gained a firm foothold.
On Sept. 27, 2010, at the Workers' Party of Korea's congress, he was suddenly appointed a general of the People's Army. The next day, he was appointed vice chairperson of the Central Military Commission. It took less than half a month to go from behind the scenes to the stage, which was almost like a rocket. In previous years, South Korean and Western intelligence agencies did not even know his exact name and movements, but in a blink of an eye, he became the successor.
On October 8, 2010, at the meeting commemorating the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Party, senior officials publicly expressed their support for him, which was a steady and resolute step by step. After Kim Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, died of heart problems on December 17, 2011, he quickly took over the banner and became the supreme commander of the People's Army on December 30.
He became the first secretary of the Workers 'Party on April 11, 2012, became the first chairman of the National Defense Commission on April 13, and was also awarded the title of Marshal on July 17. These position adjustments gave him firm control of the party, government and army, demonstrating his decisiveness and efficiency in the transfer of power. If you say this has nothing to do with personal ability? That's not necessarily true. In a system like North Korea, successors must have real skills to convince the public.
Of course, he was not idle after taking office, and the internal rectification was in good order. From 2012 to 2016, the organization was gradually adjusted. At the 7th Congress of the Labor Party in May 2016, he was elected chairperson, and at the 8th Congress in January 2021, he became general secretary. These changes are not random, but to adapt to the new situation.
The outside world saw that he made major adjustments to the military, such as executing some senior officers in 2015 to ensure loyalty. This is a record in politics, a young leader's example of fast consolidation of power. Kim Jong-un ruled for a decade, and by 2025 has accumulated a lot of experience, internal stability in North Korea, and party politics operated orderly, thanks to the layout of his early years.
A surprising move to break the diplomatic ice
Kim Jong-un also played out in diplomacy, and the third record was to promote the historic meeting of North Korean leaders. On April 27, 2018, he met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at Pan-Moon, the first time after the Korean War ceasefire, North Korean leaders crossed the military line of division on South Korean soil. After the two shrugged their hands, they also temporarily arranged to let Moon Jae-in cross to the side of North Korea for a while and then back together.
This matter was not arranged in advance. It was purely an impromptu decision by Kim Jong-un, but it did shorten the distance. After the meeting, the Panmunjom Declaration was signed, promising to ease relations. After that, the two countries dismantled border broadcasting equipment and held the ninth general-level military talks in July. The peninsula once seemed harmonious, which was definitely a milestone in politics and showed Kim Jong-un's willingness to dialogue. You know, in the past few decades, inter-Korean relations have been tense. He took this bold step and was effective.
Next, the fourth record was to facilitate the meeting of North American leaders, allowing the current U.S. president to step on North Korea for the first time. On June 12, 2018, Kim Jong-un and Trump met in Singapore, which was the first North American summit in history. The two talked about denuclearization, after the United States suspended joint military exercises with South Korea, which was a preliminary outcome.
In February 2019, he met again in Hanoi, but on June 30, 2019, Trump crossed the boundary line into North Korea for a few meters and shrugged his hand with Kim Jong-un for a while. This was the first time in history, after Carter and Clinton went to North Korea. Kim Jong-un, through these meetings, pushed the process of dialogue on the peninsula, although the relationship later became tense, but then gave the world hope.
In addition to U.S. Korea, Kim also expanded his diplomatic circle. In March 2018, he first visited China, met with Chinese leaders, and went several times afterwards. In April 2019, he met with Putin at Seychelles, negotiated cooperation at the Eastern Space Launch Field in 2023, and signed a strategic partnership treaty in June 2024.
From 2025 to the present, he has also received congratulatory messages from Putin and Medvedev, calling back to strengthen relations. These actions have made North Korea less isolated internationally, especially through military cooperation with Russia and providing weapons and labor support. Kim Jong-un's diplomacy is not empty talk. He focuses on practical interests, such as easing the pressure on sanctions through these meetings. In other words, the peninsula issue is so complex that it is already a major achievement for him to sit down and talk with several parties. If it were someone else, it would have been a mess.
Economic Reform Steps
The fifth record was to do economically what his father had not done, to promote reforms. After Kim Jong-un took office, he did not completely take the lead in politics, but emphasized the combination of economic construction and nuclear weapons. At the Labour Party’s Seventh National Congress in 2016, he proposed a five-year development strategy, the first five-year plan since the 1980s, with the goal of building an economic power.
In agriculture, the state allocates land to farmers for long-term use, receiving 10% to 35% of the output, and sells the rest by itself, which is similar to household contracting and mobilizes enthusiasm. In terms of enterprises, some are nominally state-owned, but the actual private investment management has formed an entrepreneurial group.
Kim Jong-un also emphasized developing the local economy and narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas, which his father did not push so hard. In July 2024, he said that the economy had improved in the first half of the year compared with last year, and asked that the second half of the year be carried out well, and this year should be regarded as a year of change. By 2025, although the economy has been affected by the epidemic, there are signs of recovery, such as high mobile phone ownership and more street taxis.
Kim Jong-un’s economic adjustment was not blind, but effective. Since 2017, he improved the treatment in the military, allowing soldiers to plant sheep, 200 grams of soybeans per person per day, which alleviated the problem of grain.
In 2020, he formulated a nutrition policy, suggested eating turtles to supplement nutrition, and also developed diet pills. These down-to-earth small measures have improved people's livelihood. Comments from the outside world, which shows that he has keenly grasped the changes of the times and no longer only focuses on the military. In other words, North Korea has faced sanctions for so many years, and it can still grow a little. It has to be said that its reform has contributed to it. Of course, there are still many questions, but the direction is right.
Kim Jong-un continued to push these things until 2025.In his New Year’s Message in January, he asserted last year’s achievements, saying that this year would be a higher standard.In February, he dissolved a local Labour Party committee and set 2025 as the year of establishing revolutionary discipline.In August, at the 80th anniversary of liberation, he spoke to the people about recovering dignity and emphasizing the achievements of the struggle.
Military, on August 23, tested a new type of air defense missile, calling combat capabilities excellent; on August 18, inspected the Qiang-class destroyer, calling for the expansion of nuclear weapons capabilities. These are all linked to the economy, the purpose is to stabilize the inside, seeking a breakthrough. Kim Jong Un's ability, is reflected in these records, from young succession to diplomatic economy, he step by step, he is hopeful to become a world-class figure. If it can solve the peninsula problem, that influence will be big.