Newly released images show Kim Jong Un as a baby-faced teenager

Newly released photos of Kim Jong Un as a baby-faced young man offer a rare glimpse into his teenage years before he became a full-blown bloodthirsty despot.

The series of photos was obtained by news organizations after North Korean state media released a documentary on the life of Kim’s late mentor and loyalist Hyon Chol Hae.

One picture shows Kim in his early teens holding Hyon’s hands and another photo shows Kim in his late teens with Hyon, his late father Kim Jong Il and sister Kim Yo-jong.

An additional photo shows the bully-in-training in a black jacket in a white shirt standing behind his father with his mentor.

Hyon Chol Hae, who died last month, was a Marshal in the Korean People’s Army who helped Kim become the isolated country’s next leader after Kim’s father died in 2011. A funeral held for him produced large numbers of mourners, state media reported despite the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Kim Jong Un, 38, carried Hyon’s coffin with other senior officials and he and other soldiers bowed at Hyon’s grave, state television footage showed.

Part of the recent documentary, titled “Closest to the Sun,” claims Kim directed doctors to treat Hyon’s heart condition, which he had from 2017 to 2021, according to the Sun. Kim has no medical experience.

The Mirror reported that a South Korean intelligence source told Digital Choson that the release of the teen maniac’s pictures would likely encourage the public to emulate the loyalty Hyon showed to Kim.

With postal wires