Photo of Kim Jong-un at age 13, ”Basketball Boy” released for the first time in South Korea

A photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a teenager playing basketball has been made public for the first time.
Jeong Seong-jang, vice president of the Sejong Institute, announced on the 30th that he will be releasing his new book, "I
According to the Japanese version of "The Unknown Kim Jong-un: His Politics and Strategy," titled "The Unknown Kim Jong-un, the Fourth Princess and the Basketball Coach," the film was allegedly shot in January 1997 when Kim was 13 years old.
According to Jeong, the photo shows Kim Jong-il returning to North Korea for Christmas holidays while studying in Switzerland and playing basketball with his older brother Kim Jong-chol in Pyongyang.
The photo shows Kim holding the championship trophy after a match. The photo was reportedly obtained by Chung directly from Kim's uncle, Ri Kang, who is currently in exile in the United States, in 2021.
Ri Kang is the husband of Kim Jong Un's aunt, Ko Yong Sook, and the couple is currently in exile in the United States. According to Jeong's account of Ri, Kim Jong Un is growing taller.
He started playing basketball for the sake of his brother, Kim Jong-il, and became fascinated with it. As he became more skilled, he began playing against professional players. His mother, Go Young-il, said that Kim Jong-il is shorter than his older brother, Kim Jong-chol.
Hee (Ko Young-hee) was concerned about this, and so she started playing basketball. Later, she competed not only with the 2.8 Athletic Association women's basketball team (national representative) but also with the men's basketball team.
Ri testified that Kim Jong Un's physical development through basketball was of course important, but more importantly, he cultivated his "sportsmanship."
He pointed out that it is important to have a proper relationship with Kim. Ri himself has repeatedly emphasized to Kim that "sports should be fair and follow rules and principles." According to Ri, Kim's team and the trial
When they played against each other, the opposing team never lost on purpose, and in fact, Kim Jong Un's skills were so superior that they rarely lost.
Kim is known to be an avid fan of the American professional basketball team (NBA).
In February 2013, some of the players, including former star player Dennis Rodman of the NBA Chicago Bulls, were invited to North Korea, where they met face-to-face and played a friendly match against the North Korean team.
While studying abroad in the late 1990s, he idolized Michael Jordan and would sometimes imitate his moves during basketball games.
Jeong quoted Ri as saying, "Kim Jong Un seems to have gained weight since he was no longer able to play basketball."
Ri's wife, Go Yong-sook, Kim's aunt, is the younger sister of Kim's biological mother, Go Yong-sook. The couple met when Kim and his sister, Kim Yo-jong, studied abroad in Switzerland.
He is said to have cared for them while they were living there.