How many foreign languages does North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speak?
Kim Jong-un is said to have studied abroad in Switzerland for four years as the son of a North Korean embassy employee in the 1990s.
North Korean media has not revealed any information about leader Kim Jong-un's foreign language ability, but many sources say that Kim can speak English well and knows French and German.
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| Mr. Kim Jong-un (center, standing) in a photo with his high school friends. Photo: Twitter |
Kim Jong-un is said to have studied abroad in Switzerland for four years as the son of a North Korean embassy employee around the 1990s.
Some sources say that when he returned to North Korea in 2000, Mr. Kim had completed middle and high school, could use English fluently, and spoke French and German.
Michel Riesen, the North Korean leader's high school teacher, said Mr Kim could hear and speak English well while attending an international school in Germany. However, the TelegraphIn a 2012 article, Kim said he barely passed English.
Chinese media reported in 2013 that leader Kim Jong-un and former US basketball star Dennis Rodman were laughing and talking naturally to each other at a basketball game. However, the newspaperSky Newsdenied this information and affirmed that Mr. Kim had to use an interpreter when talking with his close friend from the US.
In addition, another source said that Mr. Kim Jong-un can use Chinese fluently to exchange work with the Chinese delegation. Mr. Kim Jong-un's sister, Ms. Kim Yo-jong, is also able to speak French fluently.
According to the principle of diplomacy at the head of state level, even if the leaders are fluent in each other's foreign languages, they still need to be accompanied by an interpreter. Therefore, at the meeting with President Trump, the international media did not have the opportunity to witness Mr. Kim's foreign language ability.
However, the video of Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump walking around the grounds of the Capella hotel after lunch without an interpreter has "caused a stir" in the media about the North Korean leader's diplomatic ability.
In fact, information about Mr. Kim's education and language level has never been revealed or confirmed by the North Korean media. So how many languages the North Korean leader knows and how many foreign languages he is fluent in will remain a mystery./.
