According to American sources, Kim Jong Un was born on January 8, 1984 as the second of three children of opera singer Ko Yong-hui, a partner of Kim Jong-il, in North Korea.
He first attended a private English-language international school in Gumligen, Bern, Switzerland under the pseudonym Pak-chol from 1993 to 1998, where he was described as a shy basketball-loving student. However, conflicting reports state that the student using the alias Pak-chol was actually his older brother Kim Jong-chul. It goes on to say that the supreme leader himself attended a state school in Koniz, also near Bern, under the pseudonym Un-pak.
What is undisputed is that Kim returned home after completing his studies in Switzerland to enroll at Kim Il-sung Military University in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Kim Jong-il is said to have preferred Kim Jong Un as his successor after liking his temperament, which was said to be similar to his. His son, now a young adult, began accompanying his father on military inspections and was listed as a candidate for the Supreme People’s Assembly in 2009, while also being nominated to serve on the National Defense Commission.
