Kim Jong Un (born c. 1982–1984) has served as the supreme leader of North Korea since 2011, succeeding his father Kim Jong Il and continuing the third generation of the Kim dynasty's rule. After studying in Switzerland and at Kim Il Sung University, he was promoted to the rank of Marshal in 2012, consolidating his power over the party and military. His authoritarian regime has faced widespread accusations of human rights abuses, including the high-profile purges and executions of his uncle in 2013 and the assassination of his half-brother in 2017. Internationally, Kim pursued a Byungjin policy of parallel nuclear and economic development, overseeing the country's first ICBM tests and triggering the 2017–2018 crisis, before engaging in unprecedented summits with Donald Trump, Moon Jae-in, and Xi Jinping in 2018–2019—though talks ultimately collapsed. More recently, in December 2023 he formally abandoned reunification efforts, and in June 2024 he signed a security and defense treaty with Russia, subsequently sending troops to support Moscow's campaign in Ukraine, including the Kursk offensive. His birth year remains disputed (1982–1984) for symbolic reasons tied to the Kim family's cult of personality.