News about Kim Jong-il

Anthony Middleton took the Pyongyang Express from China to Pyongyang. Speaking to MailOnline Travel, he shared what he saw from the window and how comfortable it was. He also recalled his tour around the North Korean capital, which he said was 'surreal'. Read on for more...

Alan Titchmarsh, a British broadcaster, is not a man one would associate with the words 'fashionable,'stylish,' or 'prosecutive,' in a sense.' However, such a revelation has been made by the mild-mannered 74-year-old celebrity gardener who has made it a smash hit in North Korea, where his BBC show has been banned from broadcasting because people were afraid of being "too Western." Since former President Kim Jong Il believed they were a "symbol of American imperialism," blue jeans have been outlawed in the region since the 1990s. That's because clothing, as well as virtually every facet of public life under the Kim dynasty's watchful eye, is scrutinized to the extent of non-conformity, which sees any hint of opposition as an unacceptable threat to its power. MailOnline examines how Kim Jong Un's government controls even the most trivial aspects of daily life, an essential part of the company's effort to maintain ethnic unity and banish any signs of opposition.

Viewers who have subscribed to Shiwani TV, the brainchild of a small Polish company that claims to know North Korea and its culture, are expected to see a slew of romantic films released in the 1980s as well as cartoons based on former President Kim Jong Il's love of Daffy Duck.

Kim Jong Un, North Korea's prime minister, who died on Monday, has been a lifelong fan of basketball who was once described as being "good for a laugh." However, he is also a brutal dictator who murders his subordinates and pushes a state nuclear war program, while still allowing entire families to starve to death. His birthday, which is expected to take place on January 8, is a mystery in North Korea. Kim's birth year is listed as 1984, making him 40 years old this year. However, there were no official announcement or celebrations at home as state media continued to broadcast its decades of silence on the day, a stark contrast to Kim's late father's birthdate and North Korean-founding grandfather, who preceded him as kings, who are also national holidays in the authoritarian country. Rather, he entered his 40th year with artillery barrages into the sea, promises to expand his nuclear arsenal, and increasingly close links with Russia. Kim had been hiding from sight for the majority of his youth. He was the youngest son of North Korea's second emperor Kim Jong Il, and few people had even heard of him. But all that changed a little over 13 years ago when his 70-year-old father died on December 17, 2011, and Kim, who was just 27 years old, was thrust into the spotlight as the new king of one of the world's most authoritarian dictatorships.

On Sunday, the tyrant and his 'heir apparent' were seen around Kwangchon Chicken Farm, donning white coats as they inspected rows of caged hens and their trademark black jackets as they examined the produce outside. They may have been commemorating what seems to be his 40th birthday, which is expected to take place on January 8, but his espionage hasn't announced the date. Kim Ju Ae, who is expected to be ten years old and the middle of Kim's three children, is regularly referred to as Kim's'most beloved' child by North Korean state media, and has been a fixture of state propaganda since she first appeared in just over a year ago. The father and daughter were seen kissing one another on the cheek as they marked the New Year in Pyongyang's packed stadium before touring a missile launcher factory in matching leather jackets last week.

EXCLUSIVE: A North Korean defector has shared how she fell out of her country twice only to become a slave in China before escaping to the United States. When her uncle died of starvation in front of her and her father became ill, Jihyun Park, a child of North Korea, told MailOnline how her father's final wish was for her to save her younger brother and 'leave this world'. Ms Park, a widow, on February 18, 1998, she and her brother set off on her first attempt to flee North Korea. They were targeted by North Korean soldiers who opened fire halfway through their journey.

During the Supreme People's Assemble in Pyongyang on Tuesday, Kim Il Sung and his successor Kim Jong Il stood behind him, demanding a 'exponential increase' in nuclear weapons. Kim Il Sung ruled with an iron fist from 1948 to 1994, with his son Kim Jong Il assuming control of his father's death. He carried forward the family's tradition of brutally oppressing the country's people with violence, executions, and purges, following his father's example. Jong Il himself died in 2011 after a suspected heart attack, and his youngest son Kim Jong Un was named the 'great successor' by state media.

Kim Yo-jong, the youngest son of North Korea's second Supreme Leader Kim Jong Il, was photographed with other DPRK officials at Vostochny Cosmodrome in Moscow today.

Kim Yo-jong, North Korea's second Supreme Leader Kim Jong Il, was photographed with other DPRK officials at Vostochny Cosmodrome in Moscow after they traveled with Kim by train from Pyongyang. Yo-jong, the country's top-ranking politician and diplomat, is serving as the Deputy Department Director of the Workers' Party of Korea's Publicity and Information Department, or WPK. However, several analysts have suggested that Kim, the country's current supreme leader and WPK general secretary, could be a potential replacement for Kim. She has played a lead in assisting her brother's summits in the past, but has only appeared on the periphery.

North Korea has welcomed international golfers to take part in a tournament in Pyongyang and to develop a 'friendship' with its own players. The surprise move comes after Chinese and Russian officials attended a military parade last month. North Korea has been under a tight self-imposed Covid-19 blockade since early 2020, but experts believe Pyongyang is becoming more flexible on border controls.

She walks at least three paces behind her baby-faced brother and keep out of photograph, though she looks so pale and fragile that a strong wind might knock her down. In fact, she is a kinder and more thanpreciative sibling of North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, a delicate soul who can't hurt a fly. She was seen shyly peering out from behind a wall when her brother attended a historic summit in 2019. Observers found it almost adorable. And yet, those who have judged Kim Yo-jong on appearances could be making a fatal mistake, according to a ground-breaking and unveiling new book. Kim Jong-Il's youngest child, who is believed to be 35, is actually a brutal political tyrant who has some advice to replace her brother and identify him as the most able of his offspring.

Last week, the tyrant was caught on camera inspecting the launch of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that is expected to reach the United States. Despite this, propaganda photographs of the occasion revealed strange white stains on his coat at the waist and waist, as well as another on his suit jacket near the buttons. Although Jong-Un may have innocently scuffed his clothes on wet paint, it is likely that his employees will be disciplined for failing to shield him. Many of those accountable suffered with promotions or hard labor, according to Michael Madden, an expert on North Korea's elite, but execution could not be ruled out. According to him, employees who have offended the supreme leader are usually punished with demotions, hardship assignments, or labour training.'

Yeonmi Park, 29, (left) who left North Korea as a child and was abused as a teenager, says she'escaped hell in Asia but would later arrive in the United States and find a different kind of hell waiting for her. Park, whose latest book 'While Time Remains' is out on February 14, was shocked to learn that students at Columbia University, her alma mater, were claiming victim status. She is one of just 200 North Koreans currently living in the United States. Park has been branded as a 'poisonous mushroom' and a 'human rights propaganda puppet' since being firmly established in her homeland and described as a 'poisonous mushroom' and a "human rights propaganda puppet.' The woman is sharing that she observed similar warnings in the United States three years after graduating from Columbia University (right) with a degree in human rights.

Kim Ju Ae, Kim's daughter, who is likely to be 9 or ten years old, stood close to her father as he shook senior officials' hands and sat at a table next to him. According to analysts, Kim's decision to bring his daughter to public events linked to his military shows that he has no intention to sell his nuclear weapons voluntarily, which he reportedly sees as the only guarantee of his survival and the extension of his family's dynastic reign.

The North Korean government has asked its people to maintain a solemn reflection on the life of late 'Dear Leader' Kim Jong Un's father, who died on December 17, 2011. On Wednesday, the mourning process began and will come to an end on December 20. During the period of commemoration, a resident of Ryanggang's northern province of Ryanggang told RFA's Korean Service on Wednesday on condition of anonymity for security reasons.' You must never drink alcohol or engage in entertainment such as dancing or drinking during the period of commemoration.' In addition, people are encouraged to tone down or avoid major life events, such as weddings, funerals, and even jesa, the event to honor the dead.

On Saturday, the North Korean emperor appeared to announce his daughter to the world. The child accompanied her father in the testing of an intercontinent ballistic missile. She may have seen in public in September, but it was never confirmed. According to the intelligence service, Ju Ae is expected to be the leader's second child. The age, name, or other specifics of North Korea's state media have not been revealed. The tyrant is thought to have three children with his wife Ri Sol-ju, but the first heir - who was born in 2010, - is a boy. Following the birth of their son, the family had a baby girl in 2013 and another in 2017.

In many photographs released by the pariah state's official media company KCNA, the unidentified woman (main next to Kim, highlighted right) was photographed standing near to the North Korean dictator (left, inset), mainly wearing a plain dark suit and clutching a handbag. The true identity of the 'assistant' is uncertain, but North Korean defectors and NKNews, a US-based group dedicated to reporting and researching the isolated country, have speculated that she may be a Kim Jong-un's half-sister who was born in the 1970s. North Korean defectors and South Korea's Ministry of Unification insist the dictator has a 48-year-old half-sister named Kim Sol-song, who would almost likely be involved in his regime.