Kim Jong Un's school friends reveal what he was really like before becoming a dictator and the name he had as a boy
Kim Jong Un's former school friends have painted a picture of what the North Korean dictator was like as a child, long before taking over the helm of the hermit kingdom.
While many have described the experience of coming face to face with Jong Un as being akin to a 'God-like' experience, his school pals have offered up a very different account of knowing him.
In his younger days, the 42-year-old attended a German-speaking public school in Bern, Switzerland, where he made a number of friends, who speak warmly of the divisive political figure.
One friend, Joao Micaelo, described Jong Un has having a good sense of humor and an even better collection of Nike trainers.
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"He was a good friend," the old school pal, whoo now works as a chef, told the Daily Beast.
"We had a lot of fun together. He was a good guy. Lots of kids liked him. I don’t know anything about his life today. All I know is the guy I knew in school.
“He loved basketball. We played a lot together. I’d like to say to him, if you ever have the time, please contact me again so we can catch up.”
Jong Un is believed to have attended school in Switzerland because his father Kim Jong-il lived there for much of his own childhood and teenage years, and wanted his children to experience life outside of North Korea.
Living overseas also allowed them to live discreet and private lives without anyone knowing their true identity.
For this reason, Kong Un went by a completely different name during his school years, with Micaelo revealing he was called 'Pak Un' as a child and was known to his peers as being the son of an employee at the North Korean embassy.
Another school buddy has described the dictator as being a huge fan of the Chicago Bulls and a gifted basketball player, despite being shorter in stature than most players at just 5ft 6in tall.
Marco Imhof said: "He was funny. Always good for a laugh. He also hated to lose. Winning was very important."
"He had a sense of humor and got on well with everyone, even those pupils who came from countries who were enemies of North Korea," a third anonymous source told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
“Politics was a taboo subject at school... we would argue about football, not politics.”
Topics: North Korea, Kim Jong-un
Emma Rosemurgey