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This is what Kim Jong-Un’s voice sounds like

North Korean leader speaks out

This is what Kim Jong-Un’s voice sounds like
17 May 2016

When his father Kim Jong-il died on 17 December 2011, Kim Jong-un was just 28 years old.

Despite not being his eldest son, he was favoured over Kim Jong-chul to succeed as supreme leader of North Korea, due to the belief that he was more masculine, and "exactly like his father".

However, very little was known of the man who was educated in Switzerland for around five years, from the age of 10 until he was 15, before attending Kim Il-sung University, a leading officer-training school in Pyongyang, between 2002 and 2007. For many years, there only existed one photograph of him, taken when he was just 11.

So the world barely knew him as a man when he came to power, and since then not a great deal has changed. In fact, we've barely heard him speak.

But now you can find out for yourself exactly what kind of voice a despotic autocratic leader of a highly militarily-aggressive nation has, with the release of this 18-minute clip of him addressing the recent seventh Congress of the Workers.

To be honest - it's almost exactly as you'd expect: fairly deep and moderately commanding, although he uses notes to speak, which lessens the effect slightly.

Is it the kind of booming, inspirational voice associated with history's great leaders? No. But then you don't need to be too domineering when one wave of your hand can lead to someone being executed. Unsurprisingly, his speech - which contains plenty of references to "grim struggles" and "glorious victories" and so on - receives rapturous applause at every juncture. Well, would you want to be the first one to stop clapping?

One of few previous clips was this rare New Year's speech in 2014 - compare and contrast to hear how his voice has changed in the intervening years.

So when that atomic bomb comes our way in a few years, at least you'll be able to console yourself with the knowledge that you know what the voice that ordered the attack sounds like.