A STARTLING photo has emerged of a young Kim Jong-un wearing military uniform while giving a stiff military salute to the camera.
The amazing image is among several which have been released today on what is believed to be the North Korean despot's 34th birthday.
They show a chubby-faced youngster who would later grow up to earn the title the "most dangerous man on earth."
He was later chosen to be the next leader of North Korea by feared father Kim Jong-il over eldest son Kim Jong-nam .
Jong-nam was infamously assassinated in a poison attack at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia last year. The attack is believed to have been ordered by North Korea.
Kenji Fujimoto, who claims to have been Kim Jong-il’s personal sushi chef, always believed the younger Kim would succeed his ruthless father.
“Kim Jong-un always decided what we were going to play that day,” he told Frontline.
"He really liked rollerblading and basketball. When he started playing basketball, he was telling his brother what to do.
"Sometimes I wondered if Kim Jong-un wasn’t really the older brother. And also, he’s always been a smoker since the age of 13 or 14. After he smoked, he’d always say ‘Don’t tell my dad, OK?’”
Like many things about the trigger-happy leader even his age and date of birth are shrouded in mystery .
Kim is believed to be marking his birthday today, but without the expected fanfare of a leader known for his cult of personality.
The dictator’s birthday has been a surprisingly low-key affair since he came to power in 2011 and the date was not even included in the state’s official 2018 calendar.
It contrasts sharply with the nationwide celebration on February 16 of his late father, known as the Day of the Shining Star, and of his grandfather Kim Il Sung’s birthday on April 15 (the Day of the Sun).
Even Kim’s age is a mystery and has never been officially acknowledged. The age of 34 was leaked by his aunt in an interview with the Washington Post, when she recalled changing his nappies as a baby.
Today it was claimed Kim might be suffering from kidney disease, a forensic expert who analysed the North Korean leader's voice has said.
Chungnam State University professor Cho Dong-uk said that Kim's voice in his New Year's speech was weak – an indication that his kidneys aren't functioning properly.
Kim is overweight and a known smoker and drinker. His father died of what appeared to be a heart illness.
Source: Read Full Article
