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North Korea TV: New Leader Kim Jong Un Threatened War in 2009

North Korea TV Shows New Leader Kim Jong Un Threatened War in 2009

In this undated image made from KRT video, North Korea's new young leader Kim Jong Un appears from a military vehicle at an undisclosed place in North Korea, aired Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012. (AP Photo/KRT via APTN)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea‘s new leader vowed in 2009 to wage war if the country’s enemies shot down its long-range rocket, footage aired on state television showed Sunday in the first official word of his role in military operations before his father’s death.

The documentary is the second in a week seeking to highlight Kim Jong Un‘s experience in leading North Korea’s 1.2 million-strong military and was aimed at showing that he was in charge of the armed forces long before his father, former leader Kim Jong Il, died of a heart attack last month.

The son, who is in his late 20s, has moved swiftly into the role of “supreme leader” of the people, the ruling Workers’ Party and the military despite questions abroad about how easily he could assume power with only a few years of grooming behind him. Kim Jong Il, in contrast, had 20 years of training when his father, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, died of a heart attack in 1994.

Where a North Korea under Kim Jong Un is headed is deemed crucial because the country is locked in a long-running standoff over its nuclear ambitions and is grappling with chronic food shortages. North Korea has tested two atomic devices and is believed to be working toward mounting a bomb on a missile capable of reaching the U.S.

After years of acrimony, Pyongyang and Washington had begun discussions about food aid and how to restart nuclear disarmament talks that were suspended when Kim died last month. The U.S. and North Korea fought on opposite sides of the 1950-53 Korean War, and do not have formal diplomatic relations.

Sunday’s footage – shown on a day believed to be Kim Jong Un’s birthday – confirmed that he was being groomed as early as 2009 to succeed Kim Jong Il. The choice of Kim Jong Un as successor among the elder Kim’s three known sons was not revealed publicly until state media reported in September 2010 that he had been made a four-star general and a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party.

The video showed Kim Jong Un shaking hands with officials at a satellite control center after scientists launched a rocket in April 2009 that stoked regional tensions and earned North Korea international sanctions and condemnation.

“I had decided to wage a real war if the enemies shot down” the rocket, Kim Jong Un was quoted as saying. A voice-over described Kim Jong Il as saying his son was in charge of the military’s anti-rocket interception operations at the time.

North Korea has said it successfully sent a satellite into orbit as part of a peaceful bid to develop its space program. U.S. and South Korean officials, however, said no satellite or other object reached orbit, and accused the North of using the launch to test its long-range missile technology.

At the time, Japan had threatened to shoot down any debris from the rocket if the launch went awry. U.S. lawmakers also urged their military to shoot the rocket down.

The video also showed Kim Jong Un navigating a tank, observing fighter jets and firing exercises, and posing for photographs with soldiers. He is shown seated in the tank’s cockpit and speaking to officers with the hatch cover open. He later drove it on a snow-covered road as his father watched from a reviewing stand.

Both father and son wore heavy winter parkas. State TV did not say when the video was taken.

For two years, North Koreans were told that Kim Jong Un, who graduated from Kim Il Sung Military University, was a military genius, Pyongyang residents have told The Associated Press.

Sunday’s documentary said Kim Jong Un had intensified military training, and showed fighter jets tearing through the skies, and soldiers jumping out of planes with parachutes and firing multiple-rocket launchers.

It cited Kim Jong Il as saying, “Our general resembles me. … I sometimes admire his strong belief, resolve and gut.”

Kim is also quoted as saying his son has “outstanding (military) strategies and is well-versed in military tactics. … He is a man of many abilities and the genius among the geniuses.”

Another documentary aired a week ago showed Kim Jong Un visiting a premier tank division with strong historical and family ties in the first solo inspection trip made after his father’s death.

Since Kim Jong Il’s death on Dec. 17, the process to install his son as leader has been quick, with top military and party officials wasting no time in pledging their loyalty to the third Kim to lead the nation of 24 million since it was founded in 1948.

Kim Jong Un, who was recently named supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army, has pledged to uphold Kim Jong Il’s “military first” policy.

He is believed to have turned 28 or 29 on Sunday, though his exact birth date has not been confirmed by the government. The birthdays of his father and grandfather are considered the nation’s most important holidays, but Kim Jong Un’s birthday has not been declared a national holiday.

Comments (52)

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  • thegreatcarnac
    Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:36am

    If the North Koreans would summon up the courage to kill dear leader Kim Jong un….they would be able to eat the rest of the year. That boy looks like he is ready to butcher.

    Report Post »  
    • US_SOLDIER
      Posted on January 9, 2012 at 6:03am

      I have been here in Korea since July last year and when I first arrived the Norths people and military were on corn rations. Can you imagine getting a couple of quarts of corn to feed for your family for the month? Thats the only meal they were having all month every month. Defectors tell stories of cannibalism. One of a mother who chopped her son up and cooked him for dinner. Now the North is on the verge of wide spread famine because of poor crops the past two years. Soon, when the peopel are starving enough, they will either rise up against these animals or we will witness a mass exodus out of that place. Probably into China since we have mines laced along the DMZ, anti tank walls, electric fences and every bridge wired to blow :) Not exactly the least path of resistance lol

      Report Post »  
    • Gumbercules
      Posted on January 9, 2012 at 10:19pm

      How on this green earth did that fatty fit in that small tank opening?!

      Report Post » Gumbercules  
  • gonetotheright
    Posted on January 9, 2012 at 12:09am

    North Korean refugees escape to China is a pain in their butt China fear even more refugees as the North Korean rathole sink further into starvation!

    Report Post »  
  • powedj
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 11:14pm

    Moochele Obama needs to put their protege on a diet.

    Report Post » powedj  
  • bankerpapaw
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 9:07pm

    What’s he looking at? Maybe a drone coming in to take out his fat wittle heiney. Oh, by the way.
    How much food could be provided for his people if they sold that tank?

    Report Post »  
    • ChiefGeorge
      Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:23pm

      I really cannot wait until we smash that fat face of his esp when so many of his people are starving.

      Report Post » ChiefGeorge  
  • vaughan
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 7:37pm

    Does anyone else remember the big discussion about the shape of the table during the Korean War? Nothing was really accomplished because we had not defeated the little b*stards in war. We talked and talked and talked ….blah blah. So now we… again…have to deal with another little Tito, Hirohito or..you can fill in the blank with the latest dictator. I wonder what “Un” means?

    Report Post »  
    • ChiefGeorge
      Posted on January 8, 2012 at 10:28pm

      How did they get his big head through that hatch? Most be photo shopped.

      Report Post » ChiefGeorge  
    • slindsley
      Posted on January 8, 2012 at 11:15pm

      We need to go back to the days when nations waged war, they went in, they destroyed the place and took all the spoils then left. This time we would need to leave a note, in the language of the nation we pound into dust and in English, that says, Don’t ever mess with us again. Then pin it to the largest rock left from the attack. We then leave the country a smoldering ruin and return to our borders letting the ones who decided to wage war against us to fend for themselves. This way, we send them the message we will destroy you and leave you to die if you ever get the idea to mess with us ever again. No aid, no rebuilding no amnesty. Total destruction.Civilian and military alike. Only when we are attacked or our citizens are targeted. Most of the world hates us anyway so why not make it worth their wild. If we must go to war, then go Roman. My opinion.

      Report Post » slindsley  
    • Bill Rowland
      Posted on January 9, 2012 at 6:05am

      Slindsey – You said it, thats the only think these little countries with big ideas will understand.

      OMG

      Report Post »  
  • Apple Bite
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 6:43pm

    Oi! Bring it fat boy! Make you squeal like a pig!
    I’m sure everyone in South Korea is getting sick of dealing with the Kim Jung clan…

    Report Post » Apple Bite  
  • chips1
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 6:37pm

    Now we know more about him than we know about Obama’s past. Hu’s the enemy?

    Report Post »  
  • Kiba
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 6:08pm

    Looks like a fat little school boy.

    Report Post »  
  • Kiba
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 6:08pm

    OMG Whats wrong with everyone? Those fools over there in North Korea couldnt whip a dead horse (they would eat one tho) I wish South Korea would just tear them a new one and be done with it, heck most of the missles and stuff they have would blow-up in their face when they tried to launch them, they cant do anything right. That bunch that couldnt shoot straight sure aint worth spending some 60 yrs. over there thats for sure. They need to make Kim Jong um Kim Jong Dead pronto.

    Report Post »  
  • ohiowordguy
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 5:22pm

    I’m guessing that when most North Koreans see their new “Dear Leader,” they start imagining this fat little morsel turning slowly on a spit. Better than grass or bark, right?

    Report Post »  
    • chips1
      Posted on January 8, 2012 at 6:40pm

      Shar Pai on a stick? Good *******!!!!

      Report Post »  
    • chips1
      Posted on January 8, 2012 at 6:43pm

      OH!!! Now we can’t mention Ritz or Saltine products? The dictionary is getting smaller and smaller. Every word is now taken as racist.

      Report Post »  
  • Roaran
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 4:56pm

    Gotta bomb them soon, otherwise they might be a threat sometime in the future.

    Report Post »  
  • Cameraman
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 4:50pm

    Kim Jong Pieface..SHUDDUP!

    Report Post »  
  • mbean
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 4:33pm

    “It had become usual to give Napoleon the credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune. You would often hear one hen remark to another, ‘Under the guidance of our Leader, Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days’; or two cows, enjoying a drink at the pool, would exclaim, ‘Thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon, how excellent this water tastes!’”
    - George Orwell, Animal Farm, Ch. 8

    Report Post » mbean  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 4:15pm

    More propaganda for the masses – Obama must be loving every moment of it so he knows how to be portrayed when he becomes the “Insane Dear Beloved Leader and Saviour of the Masses in His own Delusional Mind.”

    Report Post » Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • recoveringneocon
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 4:10pm

    Shhh, Better keep this hush hush. If Santorum finds out he will take money from Brown people here and bomb Yellow people there.

    Report Post » recoveringneocon  
  • Robert-CA
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 3:53pm

    I love it when I see N Korean border guards guarding the border to prevent other border guards from crossing to S Korea .

    Report Post » Robert-CA  
  • EWRoss
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 3:51pm

    How is it that Stalinist North Korea continues to survive into the 21st Century when its communist-sister nations evolved? North Korea, now under Supreme Leader number three, Kim Jong-un, is the dinosaur that won’t go extinct. The answer is that China nurtures and protects North Korea, preferring it the way it is; and until the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) becomes a greater liability to China than an asset, it will continue to exist as a throwback to another era. The goal of U.S. North Korea policy, therefore, should be to hasten that day. http://ewross.com/the_north_korea_conundrum.htm

    Report Post » EWRoss  
    • recoveringneocon
      Posted on January 8, 2012 at 4:14pm

      Yes, China uses the money from the interest of the US debt we own them. Sounds like a Great Foreign Policy to me.

      Report Post » recoveringneocon  
    • Patrick Henry II
      Posted on January 8, 2012 at 9:38pm

      Amazing isn’t it. Good idea, make them Chaina’s pain in the butt. Also if we stop all aid to NKorea it would help hasten their eventual end.

      Report Post » Patrick Henry II  
  • Doctor Nordo
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 3:49pm

    I’m sure that Kim Jong Un is a military genius just like his father shot 11 hole-in-ones in a single round of golf and how he invented the hamburger.

    Report Post » Doctor Nordo  
  • BeardedDog
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 3:46pm

    If they want to spend their money on weapons while their people starve, so be it. Otherwise let China feed them.

    Report Post »  
  • All Pro
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 3:22pm

    Thank you Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter for giving them a nuclear reactor!

    Report Post » All Pro  
  • seanpatriot
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 3:20pm

    Give this child an xbox and Call of Duty 3 and lets move on.

    Report Post » seanpatriot  
  • KickinBack
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 3:08pm

    Jimmy Jon Jil had been threatening war for years, how would his clone be any different?

    Report Post » KickinBack  
    • Hiswill
      Posted on January 8, 2012 at 3:38pm

      I don’t think anyone takes this clown seriously. I hear he eats very well and plays video games most of the day.
      Kim Jon Un will be a lot like Achmed the dead terrorist, somebody will always be pulling his strings.

      Report Post » Hiswill  
  • ddg7
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 3:04pm

    North Korea has nuclear weapons and is working on a missle that will reach the U.S.! When will Santorum say he will bomb North Korea?

    Report Post »  
  • democritusoilder267
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 3:03pm

    Another ‘lame-duck’ leader.

    Report Post » democritusoilder267  
  • KidCharlemagne
    Posted on January 8, 2012 at 2:55pm

    How come you never hear Gingrich, Romney, or Perry ever talk about taking North Korea’s nuclear weapons away from them by force?

    Report Post »  
    • LeeroyJenkins
      Posted on January 8, 2012 at 3:12pm

      talk to China.

      Report Post »  
    • RightThinking1
      Posted on January 8, 2012 at 7:11pm

      How come the ‘moderators’ of the debates do not ask questions about dealing with NK, rather than questions about gay ‘marriage’?

      Report Post »  
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