Kim Jong Un

Reuters investigations, satellite data and Western intelligence documented North Korean deliveries of millions of artillery shells, ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia, which used them in its war against Ukraine.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

More than 12,000 North Korean soldiers were deployed to support Russia, particularly in the Kursk region, and further preparations and reinforcements were subsequently reported. In 2025, Pyongyang confirmed that the troops had been sent on Kim Jong Un's orders.

State of the evidence

Confirmed

Attribution

Directly implicated

The IAEA announced in September 2026 that North Korea had built a new uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon and expanded other enrichment capabilities, potentially increasing fissile material production.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Directly implicated

Kim announced that a new 5,000-tonne destroyer would be integrated into the national nuclear retaliation system and promised further expansion of the war fleet and strategic naval capabilities.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The 2020 law against 'reactionary thought and culture' provides for extremely severe penalties, including the death penalty for certain forms of distributing foreign content. Testimonies gathered by South Korean and UN institutions reported public executions for distributing South Korean films, television series or music.

State of the evidence

Documented

An OHCHR report covering the preceding decade found increased surveillance, censorship, forced labour and severe punishments, describing a system maintaining almost total control over the population under Kim Jong Un.

State of the evidence

Documented

The regime carried out an unprecedented campaign of ballistic missile launches, including ICBMs, as well as attempts and finally a successful launch of a military satellite using technology prohibited by UN resolutions.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Following the emergence of COVID-19, the regime almost completely closed its borders and intensified surveillance, with reports of shoot-on-sight orders near the borders. The UN considered that these measures had aggravated food insecurity, isolation and human rights violations.

State of the evidence

Documented

North Korea adopted a law declaring its nuclear status irreversible and setting out scenarios for using nuclear weapons, including pre-emptively in certain circumstances. Kim declared that there would be no negotiations over nuclear disarmament.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Kim Jong Nam, Kim Jong Un's half-brother, was murdered at Kuala Lumpur airport using the nerve agent VX. In 2018, the US State Department officially determined that the North Korean government had used a chemical weapon to carry out the assassination.

State of the evidence

Documented

The regime conducted several nuclear tests and rapidly developed intercontinental ballistic missiles, culminating in 2017 in an exceptionally powerful nuclear test and launches of Hwasong missiles theoretically capable of reaching the continental United States.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

American student Otto Warmbier, convicted in North Korea of attempting to steal a propaganda poster, was returned to the United States in a catastrophic neurological condition and died a few days later. His detention and treatment became an international symbol of the regime's abuses.

State of the evidence

Disputed

The UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that systematic, widespread and serious violations in North Korea constituted crimes against humanity in numerous instances: political prison camps, torture, executions, deliberately imposed starvation, persecution and disappearances. Its chairman warned Kim of possible personal responsibility.

State of the evidence

Documented

Jang Song Thaek, Kim's uncle and a figure regarded as the regime's second most powerful official, was arrested, expelled from the Party and executed for treason following a special military tribunal.

State of the evidence

Confirmed

Person targeted by the proceedings

Jang Song Thaek

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

Under Kim Jong Un, North Korea continued launching rockets using ballistic technology despite UN Security Council prohibitions. Following a failed launch in April, the December launch placed an object into orbit and prompted further international measures.

State of the evidence

Documented