Recently, a South Korean scholar has publicly revealed a photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un holding a basketball trophy from his childhood for the first time. The scholar disclosed that Kim Jong Un, due to being short in stature as a child, developed a love for basketball which led to his interest in the sport. After he could no longer play basketball, it seems his weight began to increase, possibly influenced by genetics and excessive alcohol consumption.
According to reports from the “Chosun Ilbo,” South Korean think tank associate director Cheong Seong-chang unveiled this photo depicting a 13-year-old Kim Jong Un on July 30. The photo is included in his work “What we don’t know about Kim Jong Un: His politics and strategy” in its Japanese version.
Click here to view the photo.
Previously reported by the “Epoch Times,” this book heavily relies on testimonies from Kim Jong Un’s aunt Ko Yong Suk and her husband Ri Gang, revealing some unknown secrets about Kim Jong Un.
Ko Yong Suk is the younger sister of Kim Jong Un’s birth mother, Ko Yong Hui. She and Ri Gang lived across from Kim Jong Il’s (Kim Jong Un’s father) residence and were members of his inner circle, visiting his home many times.
In 1998, with the assistance of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Ko Yong Suk and Ri Gang defected to the United States and currently reside there. During his visit to the US in 2021, Cheong Seong-chang received testimonies from the couple that he quoted in his book, along with the photo of Kim Jong Un from his teenage years.
The “Chosun Ilbo” reported that in this photo, a youthful Kim Jong Un is depicted dressed in a basketball uniform, holding a championship trophy, gazing ahead. This snapshot was taken in January 1997 while Kim Jong Un was studying in Switzerland and returned home for the Christmas holiday, posing for this photo after playing basketball with his older brother Kim Jong Chul and others in Pyongyang.
Quoting Ri Gang, Cheong Seong-chang states that Kim Jong Un was short as a child, and his older brother Kim Jong Chul was taller, so their mother Ko Yong Hui encouraged him to play basketball. Kim Jong Un excelled in shooting after starting to play basketball, developing a strong attachment to the sport, even sleeping with a basketball and reportedly growing taller because of playing basketball.
Recalling their times together, Ri Gang mentioned that during holidays, Kim Jong Un would play basketball from morning till evening. Although Ri Gang himself had played basketball at Kim Il-sung University, he found it exhausting to spend an entire day playing with Kim Jong Un.
He said: “I always emphasized to Kim Jong Un, ‘Sports must be fair, rules must be followed.’ I noticed him gradually developing a sportsman’s spirit. Once, in a tied game, he said, ‘Let’s count it as our loss.’ Understanding compromise and admitting defeat. From this perspective, basketball seemed to have benefitted Kim Jong Un.”
He added, “After Kim Jong Un could no longer play basketball, it seems he gained weight, possibly due to family genetics and excessive alcohol consumption.”
It is well known that Kim Jong Un is a fan of the American basketball league NBA. In February 2013, he invited legendary NBA player Dennis Rodman and some players from the Chicago Bulls to visit North Korea. He personally met with them and arranged for the North Korean team to have a friendly match with them.
According to Radio Free Asia, Rodman mentioned that during his visit to North Korea in 2013, he saw Kim Jong Un’s daughter Kim Ju Ae, who was just a baby at the time.
Based on this account, Kim Ju Ae is now likely around 12 or 13 years old, but appears to be much taller than girls of the same age. In a recently released photo by the Korean Central News Agency, Kim Ju Ae stands next to Kim Jong Un, looking almost as tall as him. Kim Jong Un is believed to be 170 cm tall.