Daily NK has obtained the complete text of Kim Jong Un’s revolutionary history book published by the Workers’ Party of Korea Publishing House in 2020. The book covers the period from when Kim Jong Un first resolved to become the successor to the conclusion of the second North Korea-U.S. summit.
The book, titled “Revolutionary History of Respected Supreme Leader Comrade Kim Jong Un,” consists of 5 chapters divided into 33 sections.
North Korea produces biographical works of its supreme leaders such as “Revolutionary History of Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung” and “Revolutionary History of Great Leader Comrade Kim Jong Il” as key propaganda materials to promote their cult of personality. These books aim to legitimize the three-generation hereditary succession from Kim Il Sung to Kim Jong Il to Kim Jong Un, highlighting their achievements and revolutionary character to establish political authority.
Unlike the revolutionary histories of his predecessors, Kim Jong Un’s revolutionary history omits details about his birth. In Kim Il Sung’s and Kim Jong Il’s revolutionary histories, their respective births in Mangyongdae, Pyongyang in 1912 and the Baekdu Mountain secret camp in 1942 are mentioned in the very first sentences of Chapter 1, Section 1.
The absence of birth information in Kim Jong Un’s revolutionary history suggests that the North Korean authorities have not yet established an official narrative about this aspect. However, there remains a possibility that information about Kim Jong Un’s birth might be added in future expanded editions.
Kim Jong Un’s revolutionary history begins with the “Baekdu Mountain Pledge,” which describes how on October 1, 1998, he climbed Mount Baekdu with his father Kim Jong Il and his mother (presumed to be Ko Young Hee) and vowed to continue the revolution. Given that Kim Jong Un’s birth year is believed to be 1984, he would have been a 14-year-old teenager at the time.
Kim Jong Un is also known to have been studying in Bern, Switzerland around this time. The claim that he visited Mount Baekdu and made this pledge while studying abroad is a political fabrication to maximize his legitimacy as successor.
In fact, Kim Jong Il officially became the supreme leader through the Supreme People’s Assembly on September 5, 1998. The narrative that Kim Jong Un declared his intention to be the successor through the “Baekdu Mountain Pledge” immediately afterward suggests an effort to emphasize that Kim Jong Un began his succession training simultaneously with the establishment of Kim Jong Il’s regime. This appears to be part of a propaganda strategy to emphasize the legitimacy of hereditary succession and provide stability to the regime.
The book also contains content promoting Kim Jong Un’s superiority and exceptional abilities, particularly emphasizing his military expertise. Notable passages claim that “The Marshal (Kim Jong Un) has completely mastered all military branches including the army, navy, air and anti-air forces, as well as all military specialties and service branches” and that he “deeply acquired knowledge of numerous military tactics recorded in world war history, various weapons and equipment, and the latest military science and technology.”
Additionally, the book mentions that “he built extensive knowledge by thoroughly reading massive volumes of books covering various fields from basic sciences to computer engineering and modern science and technology, politics and economics, culture, history and geography, and even Juche farming methods.”
Claims that the supreme leader has “mastered” all fields encompassing politics, economics, and military affairs are commonly found in existing propaganda materials and are no more than North Korean rhetoric aimed at constructing the image of a deified leader.
The book also interestingly includes content about Kim Jong Un’s deep involvement in Kim Jong Il’s personal security. It states that on November 20, 2004, Kim Jong Un personally inspected event venues before Kim Jong Il’s on-site guidance visits and established countermeasures against enemy threats targeting the supreme leadership.
Earlier that year, on April 22, a train explosion at Ryongchon Station in North Pyongan province killed more than 150 people and injured about 1,300. Some interpret this as an assassination attempt on Kim Jong Il, as his train had passed through that section just 30 minutes before the incident occurred after returning from a visit to China.
Considering these circumstances, the Ryongchon Station train explosion appears to have become the background for increased attention to personal security. The book also mentions that Kim Jong Un issued directives “to raise awareness about enemy sabotage activities and establish thorough countermeasures to detect and crush them” on several occasions, including August 2005.
The book also covers the first and second North Korea-US summits held in 2018 and 2019.
Regarding the first summit in Singapore, the book describes it as “a historic meeting for the interests of the two countries and world peace and security, ending the extreme hostile relationship between North Korea and the United States” and “a demonstration of the Supreme Leader’s farsighted wisdom, outstanding political skills, high international authority, and excellent leadership.”
As for the failed second summit in Hanoi, the book states that “the United States created obstacles to the talks by clinging to completely unrealizable methods without having any clear direction or approach to improve North Korea-US relations and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula,” shifting blame to the United States.
The book praises Kim Jong Un’s diplomatic skills, claiming that “the respected Marshal firmly established autonomy at the meeting and did not make any concessions on issues that conflicted with our national interests, waging a principled struggle that cornered the US side.”
April 18, 2025 at 03:04PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)