Kenji Fujimoto

The native form of this personal name is Fujimoto Kenji. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
Kenji Fujimoto
藤本 健二
Born1947 (age 76–77)
Japan
Occupation(s)Chef, writer
Known forPersonal chef of Kim Jong Il, defector
Notable workKim's Private Life, The Honorable General Who Loved Nuclear Weapons and Girls
Kim's Chef
I was Kim Jong-il's Cook (2003)

Kenji Fujimoto (藤本 健二, Fujimoto Kenji, born 1947) is a Japanese chef who was the personal sushi chef of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il from 1988 to 2001. Fujimoto, who uses a pseudonym and whose real name is not public knowledge, published a memoir in 2003 entitled I was Kim Jong-il's Cook, detailing many of his experiences with Kim Jong Il. The veracity of his claims were initially doubted by skeptics.[citation needed] However, Fujimoto correctly predicted that Kim Jong Un (who was relatively unknown at that time) would be appointed as his father's successor as Supreme Leader instead of Kim Jong-nam or Kim Jong-chul, which was contrary to the prevailing consensus of experts on North Korean politics.[1] Fujimoto's prediction proved true in December 2011.

A leaked U.S. diplomatic cable from Tokyo revealed that he was the best and often the sole source of North Korean information for the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office.[2]

  1. ^ Fifield, Anna (January 8, 2016). "What do we know about Kim Jong Un? Very little. That makes this guy an expert". Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  2. ^ "Cable leak: Japan has spy agency". The Japan Times. February 22, 2011. Archived from the original on July 20, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2018.