Mystery children and sibling rivalries — this is Kim Jong Un's family tree

Few political figures have drawn such intense curiosity as the secretive Kim Jong Un and the people believed to make up his family tree.

Even though Kim has become the face of North Korea to the world in recent years in light of his missile testing, feuds with President Donald Trump, and tendency to make outrageous public statements, Kim comes from a line of Communist Party dignitaries and North Korean heads of state that stretches back to the end of World War II.

Like his father and grandfather, Kim keeps key details about his family withheld from the public, giving few clues about the lives of his wife and young children. But the penchant for privacy hasn't stopped international media and South Korean intelligence from attempting to learn all they can about him.

In honor of what is believed to be the supreme leader's 34th birthday, here's a look at the mysterious North Korean figures that make up his family tree.

Kim Jong Un is at the center of a complex and secretive family tree.

He is only one of three sons, and, surprisingly, he's the youngest of them all.

Kim Jong Chol is Kim Jong Un's older brother who was supposedly going to succeed Kim Jong Il until he was rejected in favor of Kim Jong Un.

Kim Jong Il reportedly rejected Kim Jong Chol from leadership because "

Kim Jong Un is believed to have felt uneasy about his eldest brother, Kim Jong Nam, prompting the widespread belief that Kim Jong Un was ultimately behind the plot to murder him in February 2017.

Kim Jong Nam was also the father of three children, whom some have suggested may also be considered a threat to Kim Jong Un's regime.

One of Kim Jong Nam's children bears the seemingly Western name Kim Jimmy.

Kim Han Sol, who is only 22, has spoken out against his uncle's regime, saying in a 2012 interview with Finnish television that Kim is a "dictator" and that he dreamed of going back to North Korea to "make things better, and make things easier for the people back there."

After Kim Jong Nam's death, Kim Han Sol said in a YouTube video that his family feared for their safety.

Little is also known about Kim Jong Un's wife Ri Sol-ju, except what is seen in photos released by the country's state-run media — namely that she accompanies him to public events and has a penchant for expensive designer clothing.

The names and exact ages of Kim Jong Un’s children with Ri are difficult to pin down. The North Korean government hasn’t even confirmed the three young children exist.

But Kim Jong Un isn't the first to withhold details about his family — his father Kim Jong Il, who ruled from 1994 to 2011, was even more secretive.

Kim Jong Il has a sister named Kim Kyong Hui, who was also active in North Korea's politics but has remained largely hidden from the public eye.

She is apparently being treated for a host of deadly diseases, and disappeared from public view in December 2013.

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Part of the reason for Kim Kyong Hui's disappearance was Kim Jong Un's execution of her husband, Jang Song Thaek.

Jang Song Thaek had allegedly been plotting to overthrow the regime in 2013, after which he was given the death sentence by his nephew, Kim Jong Un.

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Kim Sul Song is one of Kim Jong Il's children and Kim Jong Un's 40-year-old half-sister, and is a powerful business magnate in North Korea

Although she has been rumored to be one of Kim Jong Un's rivals due to her powerful position, she has since rallied around Kim after Kim Jong Il's death, and now sits in the upper brass of North Korea's political class.

Finally, the common root of this entire maze of family relationships is Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Un’s grandfather, who is considered the founding father of North Korea.

What started with Kim Il Sung's small nuclear family of four has evolved into a lasting political dynasty. Now that the Kims are in possession of nuclear weapons, they are among the most important families in the world.

Mystery children and sibling rivalries — this is Kim Jong Un's family tree

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