Nadia W.
Who is Kim Jong Un? Kim Jong Un is the current supreme leader of North Korea and is called by his people, the “Great Successor”. He is the youngest son of the former leader, Ko Young-hee. His late mother was an opera singer named Ko Younghui. It is believed he was born January 8, 1983, making him thirty-three years old. He attended the Kim II-Sung Military University, which was named after his father. Kim Jong Un has been in power since the death of his father. Since December of 2011, Kim Jong Un has been head of the political party, army, and state. He pledged to center his attention around education and economic reforms. During the summer of 2012, Kim Jong Un married Ri Sol-Ju. It is speculated that they have a child together.
How Powerful is North Korea? The North Korean Special Operation Forces (NKSOF) currently has 1.2 million men and women serving in its elite military, making it the third largest army in all countries, standing behind China and the United States of America. South Korea claims North Korea is under the possession of more than 13,000 artillery guns. Their long-range batteries are capable of reaching South Korea’s capital, Seoul, located only thirty miles from their border. Former U.S. State Department official, Mark Fitzpatrick, reported: “North Korea's greatest advantage is that its artillery could initially deliver a heavy bombardment of the South Korean capital.” The NKSOF’s goal is to prevent war from happening between them and the U.S. alongside South Korea. Their strategy is to intimidate other countries with nuclear bombs, missiles, and artillery. The navy occupies seventy small submarines that
are capable of loading commando raiders along South Korea’s coastline. North Korea’s air force occupies 820 warplanes. Because they lack experienced and skilled pilots, they rely on the element of surprise. South Korea estimates that North Korea’s wartime resources would not last long, two or three months at the most. They suspect the resources to be hidden underground. North Korea is one of the nine countries that is in possession of nuclear weapons. Since 2006, North Korea has regulated three underground nuclear tests. The capital, Pyongyang, is assumed to have four to eight nuclear bombs. Siegfried Hecker, a nuclear expert, revealed, "I don't believe North Korea has the capacity to attack the United States with nuclear weapons mounted on missiles and won't for many years," Pyongyang only has short-range nuclear missile efficiency.