Kim Jong Un, Supreme Leader of North Korea, made only 14 public appearances in the month of December 2013, the third lowest for the year.
The reduced number of public appearances is likely a result of Kim and his close associates spending more time in Pyongyang consolidating power in the wake of the purge of Kim’s uncle, Jang Song Taek. In December, North Korean state media frequently reported on the accomplishments of and praise given to Kim and his father and grandfather.
Kim Jong Un, Supreme Leader of North Korea, made only 14 public appearances in the month of December 2013, the third lowest for the year.
The reduced number of public appearances is likely a result of Kim and his close associates spending more time in Pyongyang consolidating power in the wake of the purge of Kim’s uncle, Jang Song Taek. In December, North Korean state media frequently reported on the accomplishments of and praise given to Kim and his father and grandfather.
John G. Grisafi is an analyst and Korean linguist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Having previously worked as an analyst for the United States Army in South Korea and studied Korean at the Defense Language Institute, he is now majoring in East Asian Languages & Civilization and History at the University of Pennsylvania.