- The Kim family has long kept quiet about exactly who belongs to their sprawling, complex family tree.
- But thanks mostly to South Korean intelligence, we have a pretty good idea.
Few political figures have drawn such intense curiosity as the secretive Kim Jong Un and the people believed to make up his family tree.
Even though Kim has become the face of North Korea to the world in recent years in light of his missile testing, feuds with President Donald Trump, and tendency to make outrageous public statements, Kim comes from a line of Communist Party dignitaries and North Korean heads of state that stretches back to the end of World War II.
Like his father and grandfather, Kim keeps key details about his family withheld from the public, giving few clues about the lives of his wife and young children. But the penchant for privacy hasn't stopped international media and South Korean intelligence from attempting to learn all they can about him.
In honor of what is believed to be the supreme leader's 34th birthday, here's a look at the mysterious North Korean figures that make up his family tree.
SEE ALSO: 9 of the most outrageous things Kim Jong Un has said
Kim Jong Un is at the center of a complex and secretive family tree.
The leader of the Hermit Kingdom, like his ancestors, has offered scant information about his family members.
He is only one of three sons, and, surprisingly, he's the youngest of them all.
Though it's typical for the eldest son to become the heir to the title of Supreme Leader, his older brothers — Kim Jong Chol and his half-brother Kim Jong Nam — were bypassed in favor of Kim Jong Un.
Kim Jong Chol is Kim Jong Un's older brother who was supposedly going to succeed Kim Jong Il until he was rejected in favor of Kim Jong Un.
Kim Jong Il reportedly rejected Kim Jong Chol from leadership because "he is like a little girl."
Source: BBC
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