Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, is thought to have reached the age of 40 on Monday. However, the secretive regime, known for its lack of transparency, maintained its tradition of keeping silent about Kim’s birthday.
Although Kim’s birthday is widely assumed to be on January 8, the North Korean government has never officially confirmed this date. According to U.S. government records, Kim’s birth year is listed as 1984, aligning with the belief that he is now 40 years old.
In North Korea, the birthdays of Kim’s father and grandfather, who served as previous rulers, are celebrated as national holidays in the authoritarian state. Surprisingly, Kim Jong Un’s presumed birth date has consistently passed without any public acknowledgment in media or on the country’s calendars.
The closest the regime came to confirming Kim’s birthday was in January 2020 when authorities acknowledged that he had received birthday greetings from then-President Donald Trump, but the exact date was not disclosed.
This year, the state news agency KCNA featured images of Kim visiting a chicken farm with his daughter and senior officials on his presumed birthday. South Korea’s intelligence agency has suggested that his daughter, known as Ju-ae, could be a potential successor.
Kim’s government faces heavy sanctions due to concerns related to the country’s nuclear weapons, ballistic missile programs, and human rights abuses.
