When Kim Jong Un came to power in 2011, many observers focused on his schooling in Switzerland as a hopeful sign that he would reform North Korea and establish better relations with the West. This hypothesis now appears to have had missed the mark by a fairly wide margin.
However, it is little known that Kim Jong Un was not the first of the Kim family dynasty to study abroad. His father Kim Jong Il actually studied English in the former British colony of Malta in the early 1970s.
When Kim Jong Un came to power in 2011, many observers focused on his schooling in Switzerland as a hopeful sign that he would reform North Korea and establish better relations with the West. This hypothesis now appears to have had missed the mark by a fairly wide margin.
However, it is little known that Kim Jong Un was not the first of the Kim family dynasty to study abroad. His father Kim Jong Il actually studied English in the former British colony of Malta in the early 1970s.
Try unlimited access
Only $1 for four weeks
-
Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations,
analysis
-
Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period
-
The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in
the loop
-
Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns
-
Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting
Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting,
investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts.
Subscribe
now
All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time.
SHARE
COPY LINK
X
MASTODON
