Kim Jong Un's decade of total but isolated rule

When he inherited power upon the death of his father and longtime ruler Kim Jong Il, there were questions about the future of North Korea. Little was known about the then-27-year-old son who was taking his family's dynastic rule into a third generation. But Kim Jong Un quickly consolidated his power by orchestrating a spate of brutal purges and executions that removed his potential rivals including his own powerful uncle.

In this undated photo provided on October 16, 2019, by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rides a white horse to climb Mount Paektu, North Korea.

Korean leader Kim Jong Un waving as he inspects a mass parade of the Worker-Peasant Red Guards at Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang to mark the 65th anniversary of the national foundation day.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) smiling with female soldiers after he inspected the multiple-rocket launching drill of the women's sub-units under Korean People's Army (KPA) Unit 851, at an undisclosed place in North Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects Samjiyon County, in this undated photo released on October 30, 2018 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

South Korean President Moon Jae-in makes a toast with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a luncheon at Samjiyon Guesthouse in Ryanggang province, North Korea, on September 20, 2018.

US President Donald Trump, left, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea on June 30, 2019.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, shakes hands with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on March 27, 2018.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un pose for a photo prior to their talks in Vladivostok, Russia, on April 25, 2019.

In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, talks with former NBA player Dennis Rodman, right, as they watch an exhibition basketball game at an indoor stadium in Pyongyang on January 8, 2014.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, surrounded by a military unit, reacts to what it claims as a test firing of its 'super-large' multiple rocket launcher in North Korea.

This combination of photos provided by the North Korean government, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Workers' Party meetings in Pyongyang, North Korea, on February 8, 2021, left, and June 15, 2021.

A shopkeeper walks past a set of TVs broadcasting a news report on summit between the US and North Korea, in Seoul, South Korea.
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