Even though it has been 7 years since he assumed power, Kim Jong-un remains an enigmatic figure.
In North Korea, he is revered as almost godlike thanks to the state ideology of juche.
In the Western world, however, he is viewed much differently.
He has been described as a “nuclear lunatic” in one news article and an “overweight madman
with a funny haircut” in another.
What is he really like though, and what is it like to rule over what Human Rights Watch
describes as “one of the most repressive authoritarian states in the world?”
That’s what we’ll find out, in this episode of The Infographics Show, “What Kim Jong-un
does in his daily life.”
Because North Korea is a closed society, information about Kim Jong-un’s whereabouts is tightly
controlled.
What we know about his daily life is pieced together from North Korea’s state-run media
and from accounts of people who know him personally.
Some aspects of his life are kept secret, but others have been widely publicized.
As the “Supreme Leader” of North Korea, Kim Jong-un must devote part of his day to
running his country.
Nearly every day, he makes official visits to places throughout North Korea, including
factories, farms, and construction sites.
Reports of these visits are posted online in a special “Supreme Leader Activities”
section of Rodong Sinmun, the state newspaper of North Korea.
One reason for these visits is that they help to promote his political strategy of “byungjin,
”which a Vox article describes as developing both nuclear weapons and the economy equally.
Some of the construction sites he visits are for what a CNBC article calls “expanded
tourism that would generate hard currency.”
Another article describes how a model collective farm with 400 families was benefiting from
his economic reform of giving farmers “control over what they could produce and sell as long
as they meet their state quotas first in Chinese style reforms of the 1980s.”
Reliable information about the impact of his economic reforms is difficult to obtain, but
economists estimate “North Korea growth rates of between 1 to 2 percent since Kim
Jong-un came to power.”
Newsweek reports that another purpose of these visits is also to “give the impression that
Kim Jong-un is devoted to his people.”
Unfortunately, it is mainly a false impression.
Most of the time, he lives separated from them, spending most of the country’s wealth
on the military (about 24% of North Korea’s GDP) and creating a cushy life for himself
and his elite inner social circle (20% of the state’s budget is spent just for his
thoroughbred horses!).
While some North Koreans may dislike the way he runs the country, they remain silent out
of fear.
According to a 2013 Human Rights Watch report, “North Korea operates a vast network of
informants who monitor and report to the authorities fellow citizens they suspect of criminal or
subversive behavior.”
And in 2018, Human Rights Watch reported that “the government continued to generate fearful
obedience from citizens by means of threatened and actual execution, detention, and forced
labor under harsh, sometimes fatal, conditions.”
Out of public view, he spends the day attending to other state business.
He continues to manage his nuclear program, which is still up and running despite recent
negotiations with the United States.
A recently published Foreign Affairs article reported that he is not “’cheating’”
on his agreement with the United States because he “never promised to stop producing nuclear
weapons or ballistic missiles.”
He also probably spends part of his day keeping track of his enemies and figuring out new
terrifying ways to deal with them.
His brutal treatment toward those who plot to overthrow him is well known.
A New York Times article reports that “in the first six years as leader, he has ordered
the executions of at least 340 people.”
Some of these executions made headlines because they involved members of his own family, such
as the execution of his uncle Jang Song-thaek for treason in 2013.
Bloomberg reports that “last year, he had his half-brother Kim Jong Nam killed with
a chemical weapon at an airport in Malaysia, . . . a move that removed one of his last
remaining rivals for power in the bloodline.”
While we don’t know if Kim Jong-un orders executions every day, we can safely say that
they are a regular part of his routine to maintain power.
However, Kim Jong-un has a softer side too.
Since 2009, he has been married to Ri-Sol Ju.
She is supposedly a former cheerleader and singer, but a Business Insider article reports
that “little is known about the life Ri led before marrying Kim.”
She is recognized for being stylish and has recently appeared more frequently by his side
at public events as part of his image makeover to be seen as a “normal” leader.
It is widely reported that the couple have three children but not much is known about
them.
An odd source of insight into Kim Jong-un’s family life is former NBA player Dennis Rodman,
who has become Kim Jong-un’s friend.
The Sun reports he confirmed that the second of Kim-Jong un’s children is a girl named
Kim Ju-ae.
He also described Kim Jong-un as “’a good dad’ who has ‘a good family.’”
Would Rodman provide such a glowing review of the dictator as a family man if he knew
about his extramarital sex escapades?
A North Korean defector claims that Kim Jong-un “has sex slaves.”
A former member of his elite inner circle, she recalls seeing some of her attractive
teenage classmates pulled out of school “to work at one of his ‘hundreds’ of homes
in Pyongyang.”
She said they are trained not only to serve him food but also to give him massages and
sex as well.
It is not easy to be a sex slave to a 290 lb.
(131.5 kg) dictator who could make you “disappear” if you do not please him, so the hazard pay
for their service is that they have the opportunity to “marry a high-ranking official” after
Kim Jong-un discards them.
While his wife is probably not happy about the sex slaves, Kim Jong-un and his family
live in luxury.
According to MSN, they have “17 palaces scattered throughout the state” and even
a private island.
Newsweek reports that his main palace at Ryongsang covers 4.6 square miles (11.9 km2) and includes
an Olympic-sized swimming pool, banquet facilities, a shooting range, and even a giant waterslide.
MSN also lists other expensive items he owns, including a 200-foot custom-designed yacht,
a private jet called “Air Force Un” that is estimated to cost around $1.5 million,
and a $1.7 million “armored car for state visits.”
Perhaps the biggest part of his daily routine is drinking and eating.
MSN reports that he spends an average of $30 million each year on imported liquor.
Among his drinks of choice are whisky, cognac, and snake wine, an aphrodisiac “which comes
with a dead cobra in the bottle” according to one source.
A former chef for the Kim family claims that Kim Jong-un could drink two entire bottles
of Cristal champagne in one sitting!
MSN also estimates that he spends millions of dollars on fancy imported food, including
top quality pork from Denmark, caviar from Iran, and Kobe beef.
One of his favorite foods is Emmental cheese, which a Sun article states “he developed
a taste for at a boarding school in Switzerland as a young boy.”
Kim Jong-un is also a heavy smoker.
He can frequently be seen at public appearances with a cigarette in his mouth.
And no cheap drugstore brands will do for him.
He smokes Yves Saint Laurent cigarettes, which cost $44 per pack according to MSN.
For those of you who feel outraged that obese Kim Jong-un lives high on the hog while 40%
of his people are malnourished, you might find comfort in knowing that he does not always
enjoy his luxurious existence.
He lives in constant fear of being overthrown by others, and this fear has caused him to
suffer sleep deprivation according to one source.
Despite being a young man, he is already paying for his overindulgence in lard, liquor, and
ladies.
According to a Fox News article, experts speculate that he suffers from various serious health
problems, “including gout, diabetes, high blood pressure, a sexually transmitted disease
and psychological issues.”
If an assassin’s bullet does not do him in, his lavish life of excess probably will.
So, how long do you think Kim Jong-un will be dictator of North Korea?
Let us know in the comments!
Also, be sure to check out our other video called What Do North Koreans Think of Americans?!
Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.
See you next time!