Kim Jong Il is reported to have died of a heart attack on the morning of December 17, 2011, as he traveled aboard his personal train. Kim Jong Un's decade in power has surprised many analysts, with many initially assuming that he was too young and too inexperienced to lead a nation faced with as many challenges as North Korea. Less than two years after taking power, Kim Jong Un had ordered the execution of his uncle, Jang Song Thaek. It is also widely assumed Kim Jong Un set up the assassination of his half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, in Kuala Lumpur airport in February 2017. Kim Jong Un has been able to maintain his grip on power "because of a combination of the regime apparatus," says Duyeon Kim.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 19, 2021 03:42 UTC