Revelation:Kim Jong Un's bizarre childhood

Kim Jong Un may be fond of fiery anti-Western rhetoric, but in fact the North Korean dictator is obsessed with the European and American lifestyle, according to a man who has known him since he was a little boy.

Kenji Fujimoto, who served as the personal sushi chef of Kim's father Kim Jong Il for 13 years, has revealed that the 30-year-old despot is a fan of the Beatles and longs to look like Hollywood star Jean-Claude Van Damme.

                       Warlike: The 30-year-old dictator has issued a series of thundering pronouncements directed at the West

Kim also drinks Bordeaux wine, smokes Cartier menthol cigarettes and has enjoyed driving around his palace in a Mercedes since he was just seven years old.

He also enjoys Hollywood hits, and the Beatles are his favourite Western band.

One film in particular had a big impact on Kim, when a Jean-Claude Van Damme karate movie inspired him to start bulking up so he could look more like the Belgian star.

Kenji Fujimoto

When the future leader was a child, he learned how to drive a Mercedes and would take it for a spin around the grounds of the presidential palace.

'He drove it perfectly when he was only seven,' Mr Fujimoto told The Sun. 'They made a special seat for him because he could not reach the pedals

Mr Fujimoto has known Kim for more than two decades after he was hired to cook delicacies from his native Japan for Kim Jong Il in 1988.

He managed to defect in 2001 by pretending to travel to Japan in search of a rare type of sea urchin, and has since written a series of books about the secretive North Korean regime.

North Korea's newest batch of future soldiers: Scrawny 11-year-olds with freshly shaved heads punch the air as they practice taekwondo

Rare pictures show images of North Korea's future soldiers as children as young as 11 are taught combat training in a military academy.

11-year-old pupils at the Mangyongdae Revolutionary School in Pyongyang, North Korea wear military uniforms and are prepared for war

New recruits with shaved heads are seen preparing for war in the grounds of Mangyongdae Revolutionary School in Pyongyang as they practise their taekwondo.

Young children with shaven heads learn taekwondo at the Mangyongdae Revolutionary School where former leader Kim Jong Il once studied

'I really think that's how I can get my revenge on the American imperialists: by getting top marks in class.

One pupil named Jo Chung Hyok said: 'Because of the present situation, I am trying to study harder.

‘It's my revolutionary duty,’ Jo said. ‘I'm working extra hard to get top marks in military subjects like tactics and shooting.’ 

              Pupils dressed in military uniforms chant: The respected Marshal Kim Jong Un is our father.' at the school in Pyongyang

The government-run school, where former leader Kim Jong Il was educated during the Korean War, indoctrinates students with criticisms of America and South Korea.

Times's list of 100 most influential people in the world... Kim Jong Un, Jennifer Lawrence and Taliban victim Malala

The publication has printed its annual Time 100 which features U.S. President Obama, rapper Jay-Z  and the controversial leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un.

It also includes the brave Taliban shooting victim Malala Yousafzai, who was treated at a Birmingham hospital following her shocking attack.

For the first time this year the magazine features seven special edition front covers, each showing one of the members from the list.

They include actress Jennifer Lawrence, business mogul Elon Musk, Senator Rand Paul, tennis star Li Na and Indian actor Aamir Khan. 

Icon: Rapper Jay Z has been named as one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine

Malala Yousafzai made world headlines around the world when she survived being shot in the head by the Taliban in revenge for her standing up for the right to go to school in her home country.

Also appearing are President Obama, for the eighth time, and his wife Michelle, as well as several celebrities, including Justin Timberlake, Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis, talk show host Jimmy Fallon and singers Christina Aguilera and Beyonce.

For the full list, check out http://time100.time.com

North Korea: Organises Marathon for a change

Having threatened to bomb the United States and warned foreigners to leave South Korea due to an impending thermonuclear war, North Korea returned to domestic matters today by holding its annual marathon in Pyongyang.

The North’s state news agency said a big contingent of foreign runners were expected from countries including Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Ethiopia as well as 600 North Koreans at today's race.

The marathon celebrates tomorrow's 101st anniversary of the birthday of the country’s founder Kim Il Sung, grandfather of the current leader Kim Jong Un.

The world needs to do something about North Korea. Some guy just sits somewhere and keeps talking about bombs when the populace suffer from lack of basic amenities

North Korean killers in heels: Female soldiers spotted patrolling border

It came on another tense day on the Korean peninsula, where images of four female soldiers in heels and Soviet-style hats were released in the latest act of bravado from madman dictator Kim Jong Un.

They were accompanied by a fresh round of rhetoric by the pariah state which claims it had 'powerful striking means' on standby for a launch.The official statement is the latest in a torrent of warlike threats seen outside Pyongyang as an effort to raise fears and pressure Seoul and Washington into changing their North Korea policy.

North Korea was however today warned it faced fresh sanctions if it went ahead with a predicted missile test in the escalating nuclear stand-off with its neighbours and their Western allies.Following a meeting of the G8 nations in London, foreign ministers said they had committed themselves to 'further significant measures' if the went ahead with the tests.

'North Korean madman is just young and showing off'

North Korea's former top female spy, who blew up a civilian plane that killed 115 people, has spoken about the reasons behind the rogue nation's warmongering, as it emerged that its nuclear missile system is 'primed and ready to launch'.

Kim Hyun-hee, who tried to kill herself with poison after her capture by the South Koreans and later escaped the death sentence, spoke at a secret address in the South, surrounded by bodyguards.

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the 51-year-old former terrorist said she believes all the latest threats from Pyongyang are nothing more than attempts to shore up support for the new young leader, Kim Jong Un.

'Kim Jong Un is too young and too inexperienced,' she said. 'He's struggling to gain complete control over the military and to win their loyalty.'That's why he's doing so many visits to military bases - to firm up support.' She said there were good reasons for the North threatening a thermo-nuclear war.

'North Korea is using its nuclear programme to keep its people in line and to push South Korea and the United States for concessions.

Diplomats in North Korea Stay Put

Foreign diplomats stationed in North Korea appeared to be staying put at their embassies in Pyongyang Saturday, despite the government's public suggestion that they should leave the capital for security reasons.

Reports received in Western capitals from foreign embassies in Pyongyang indicate diplomats are disregarding the warning to leave, and that most foreigners saw the warning message North Korea circulated Friday as a gesture intended to heighten tensions on the Korean peninsula.

North Korea had told embassies and international groups it could only guarantee their safety until April 10 in the event of open hostilities.

Everybody seems to believe that Kim Jong Un just wants to be bellicose! Time will tell

Kim Jong un has been noticed!?

Kim Jong un

At the end of a week in which North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shattered the illusion that his rule would mark a departure from bellicosity, signs are emerging that there may be method in his apparent madness.

His motivation is not war, but simple regime survival, top-level defectors in the South have said.

The 20,000 North Koreans who have made new lives in the South since the end of the Korean war in 1953 are among the few people placed to give reliable insights into a country that often generates more speculative heat thananalytical light.

While they are divided on how far Kim will to go in his campaign to pressure the US and South Korea into offering talks on aid and a peace treaty, they say he is as aware as officials in Washington and Seoul that all-out war and the continuation of his dynasty are mutually exclusive.

"Kim Jong-un's aim is to unite the North Korean military and people around his regime and win their trust," said Jang Se-yul, a former mathematics professor who spent 10 years in the cyberwarfare unit of the North Korean army in Pyongyang. "They don't trust Kim yet, and they're looking for strong signals from him."

All for trust? This young ruler is truly mad.

Amazing: North Korea's Real Power, Kim Jong Un's Aunt and Uncle

North Korea's young leader Kim Jong Un has been portrayed as a tough talking leader setting the world's nerves on edge with his belligerence, but many analysts believe the real powers behind-the-scenes are Kim's aunt and uncle.

Among Kim's small inner circle the most influential, often referred to as the "first family," are Kim's aunt Kim Kyong-Hui and her husband Jang Sung-Taek, both 66. The power couple were reportedly anointed by late-Kim Jong Il to help his 30 year-old son consolidate his position as the new figurehead and control the 1.2 million member military

The duo was spotted most recently sitting on each side of Kim at Sunday's plenary meeting of the central committee of the ruling Workers' Party when Kim issued his latest defiant remarks, vowing to keep nuclear weapons as "the nation's life treasure" and saying it will not be traded even for "billions of dollars."