For subscribers
Commentary
How Kim Jong Un got his nukes and avoided Khamenei’s fate
Having the right kind of neighbours helps. Iran’s experience will only strengthen North Korea’s resolve to build its nuclear arsenal.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, seen here at a major munitions industry enterprise in the country, in February reiterated his pledge to “expand and strengthen” his nuclear forces.
PHOTO: AFP
After his not-at-all-surprising re-election as chairman of North Korea’s ruling Korean Workers’ Party in late February, Mr Kim Jong Un earned the title “Greatest Man in the World” from state media. Without going that far, one can concede that Mr Kim is at least doing better than the supreme leader of another upstart nuclear “rogue” state, Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whom an Israeli missile strike killed the same week.
The party newspaper said Mr Kim’s greatness is demonstrated by his contributions to North Korea’s national defence and economic development.


