Kim Jong Un, the son and future successor of North Korean ruler Kim Jong II, continues to remain an enigma both at home and abroad.
The four-star general is widely credited in North Korea with enacting a fiercesome artillery attack on a front-line South Korean island that nearly caused another war between both sides, AP reports.
He accompanies his father regularly on inspection trips to farms and factories — visits now commemorated with plaques inscribed with his name.
Officials even say Jong Un has been entrusted with full leadership of the country while his father has made extended trips to China and Russia over the last year.
The inner workings of North Korea’s political leadership are unfathomable due to the tight rein on information, both to North Koreans and to the wider world, reports AP.
Dissent and opposition will result in forced labor or execution, according to human rights groups and the U.S. State Department.
Nevertheless, Yoo Ho-yeol, a professor at Korea University in South Korea, says North Korea has established a cult of personality surrounding Jong Un.
He said a biography and other top government and political posts can be expected over the coming months.
“He is now performing the role of successor,” Yoo said Monday. “He has virtually cemented his status as the next leader,” AP reports.
