A childhood photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. A childhood photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Jeong Seong-chang, vice president of the Sejong Institute, who released this photo, explained, "This is a photo of Kim Jong Un, who temporarily returned to North Korea from Switzerland in January 1997 during his Christmas break, playing basketball with his older brother Kim Jong Chol in Pyongyang and holding a trophy after winning the game." 

Vice President Jeong received this photo from Kim Jong Un's maternal uncle, Ri Kang, in the United States in March 2021, and it was first revealed through Jeong's book, "Kim Jong Un We Don't Know: His Politics and Strategy," in its Japanese edition. According to Ri, Kim Jong Un's mother, Ko Yong Hui, encouraged him to play basketball because he was shorter than his older brother, Kim Jong Chol. Yonhap News