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Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s enigmatic leader His recent behavior and bellicose rhetoric seem to have put the hermit state’s 30-year-old ruler into a corner.
Feb. 16, 2012
A few months after his father's death, new North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reviewed a parade at Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang commemorating what would have been Kim Jong Il's 70th birthday.
David Guttenfelder
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Associated Press
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Aug. 19, 1981
Kim Jong Il with son Kim Jong Nam, front right, and other family members. The older son was once expected to succeed his father, but Kim Jong Un, his younger half-brother, ascended instead.
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AFP/Getty Images
Oct. 10, 2010
Kim Jong Un, right, and his father at a massive military parade marking the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang.
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Associated Press
An undated photo released in 2010 by North Korea's official news agency shows Kim Jong Un, second from left, with his father, second from right, with military officials.
KCNA
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Reuters
Sept. 11, 2011
The young leader-to-be tours a video company in Pyongyang.
Korean Central News Agency via KNS
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AFP/Getty Images
Sept. 23, 2011
The younger and elder Kims flank Laos President Choummaly Sayasone during his visit to Pyongyang.
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AFP/Getty Images
Dec. 28, 2011
Kim Jong Un, front left, walked beside the car bearing his father's casket during Kim Jong Il's memorial service.
KCNA
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AFP/Getty Images
Aug. 29, 2012
Kim Jong Un inspects troops in an official photo. Before he began appearing at official functions, the government spent months shaping his image.
KNS
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AFP/Getty Images
April 15, 2012
A military celebration marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il Sung, founder of the three-generation Kim dynasty.
David Guttenfelder
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Associated Press
July 25, 2012
Unlike his father and grandfather, Kim Jong Un has made his wife, Ri Sol Ju, a public figure, taking her to events such as this visit to the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground in Pyongyang.
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Associated Press
Last summer, apparently on a whim, Kim invited dignitaries for a roller coaster ride at an amusement park.
KCNA
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Reuters
Dec. 14, 2012
Kim, center, celebrates with scientists and technicians at the General Satellite Control and Command Center after the North launched a satellite.
KCNA
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Reuters
Feb. 28, 2013
Kim is known to be a fan of basketball, but the visit of former NBA star Dennis Rodman to Pyongyang earlier this year still raised eyebrows.
Jason Mojica
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Associated Press
March 14, 2013
Kim wields a pair of binoculars during inspection of a live-fire drill.
KNS
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AFP/Getty Images
March 23, 2012
Kim meets with an army unit. North Korea observers say he is anxious to prove his mettle among the country's military leaders.
KCNA
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Reuters
The new leader has become a fixture of government propaganda videos.
KNS
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AFP/Getty Images
Trailed by doting, crusty generals, he is shown rallying star-struck troops in the field and planning attacks on America in a war room.
KCNA
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Reuters
March 14, 2013
Kim and other leaders attended this recent live-fire artillery drill, meant to test the North's capacity to strike South Korea.
KCNA
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Reuters
Kim waves from a packed boat after inspecting the Wolnae Islet Defense Detachment. In his short time in power, he has taken on a highly visible role, a stark change compared to his reclusive father.
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Associated Press
March 24, 2013
Kim inspects military hardware. His recent bout of bellicose rhetoric likely represents a desperate cry for legitimacy rather than a genuine appetite for combat.
KCNA
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Reuters
March 29, 2013
At a meeting in Pyongyang, Kim ordered strategic rocket forces to be on standby to strike U.S. and South Korean targets. Observers warn that unlike his father or grandfather, he may not have figured a way out of the corner he has backed himself into.
KCNA
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EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY
April 1, 2013
As he eases into the top job of a nation whose elite has long been presumed to be rife with intrigue and rivalries, Kim appears determined to assert a tight grip on the levers of power.
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Associated Press
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