Newly released baby-faced photos of Kim Jong-un as a child offer a rare glimpse into his teenage years before he became a full-fledged bloodthirsty despot.
The photo series was obtained by news organizations after North Korean state media aired a documentary about the life of Kim Hyun-chul-hae’s late mentor and supporter.
One image shows Kim in her early teens holding Hyun’s hands, and another photo of Kim in her late teens with Hyun, his late father Kim Jong Il, and his sister Kim Yo Jong.
In an additional photo, a tyrant trainee in a black jacket and white shirt stands behind his father with his mentor.
Hyun-chul-hae, who died last month, was a marshal in the Korean People’s Army who helped groom Kim to become the isolated country’s next leader after Kim’s father died in 2011. Huge numbers of mourners attended his funeral, state media reported, despite the coronavirus outbreak.
Kim Jong-un, 38, carried Hyun’s coffin with other senior officials, and he and other soldiers knelt in front of Hyun’s grave, state television footage showed.
Part of a recent documentary called “Closest to the Sun” claims that Kim instructed doctors on how to treat Hyun’s heart disease, which he had from 2017 to 2021, according to the Sun. Kim has no experience in medicine.
The Mirror reported that a South Korean intelligence source told Digital Choson that releasing images of the crazy teenager would likely encourage the public to emulate the loyalty that Hyun showed to Kim.
With mail wires
