Kim Jong-un: 10 Years of Missiles, Murder and Economic Misery

Kim Jong Un was not even 30 when he took control of North Korea after his father’s death in December 2011.

Some predicted that when the weight of ruling an entire country was thrust upon the Swiss-educated chubby young man, he would choose a path of reform, calculating it would be of greater benefit to his people than isolation, confrontation and missile tests.

But that is not where Kim has steered his country. In fact, the opposite happened.

“Kim Jong Un has always had a natural instinct for power,” Go Myong-hyun, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies focusing on North Korea, told Al Jazeera.

But that is not where Kim has steered his country. In fact, the opposite happened.

“Kim Jong Un has always had a natural instinct for power,” Go Myong-hyun, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies focusing on North Korea, told Al Jazeera.

He has shown little sign that he will ease off the development of the country’s military prowess.

Read the full story and more from Al Jazeera.