North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is a hermit no longer. After a little more than six years in charge of North Korea, having taken over following his father Kim Jong Il’s death in December 2011, 2018 marked Kim’s great coming out to the world. In many ways, Kim – the third dynast to rule the juche monarchy that is North Korea – showed how he followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. But matters didn’t end there: Kim gave the world just enough to spark thoughts, near and far, that he might be different enough that the benefits of engaging with him would open the door to a different kind of North Korea.
