North Korea's Kim Jong Un turns 40. Maybe

[January 08, 2024]  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is believed to have turned the big four-oh on Monday, but state media continued its decades of silence on his birthday.  

Kim's birthday is believed to be Jan. 8, though his secretive regime has never confirmed the date. The U.S. government lists Kim's birth year as 1984, making him 40 years old this year.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un speaks at the 5th National Meeting of Mothers in Pyongyang in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency on December 5, 2023. KCNA via REUTERS/File Photo

The birth dates of Kim's father and grandfather, who preceded him as rulers, are national holidays in the authoritarian state.

Kim Jong Un's presumed birth date, meanwhile, has always passed quietly without mention in media or on the country's calendars.

The closest North Korea has come to confirming the date came in January 2020 after authorities acknowledged Kim had received birthday greetings from then-U.S. President Donald Trump, though they did not mention the exact date.

This year, state news agency KCNA on Monday showed Kim visiting a chicken farm with his daughter and senior officials.

South Korea's intelligence agency said this month it believes the daughter, known as Ju-ae, may be a likely successor.

Kim's government is heavily sanctioned over the country's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, as well as human rights abuses.

(Reporting by Josh Smith, Editing by William Maclean)

[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.