Youngest state leader to control nuclear weapons

The leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), Kim Jong-un, who succeeded his father Kim Jong-il as the leader of the country on 24 December 2011, is, according to official reports, only 29 years old (although other sources put his age at 26 or 27). This makes him by far the youngest person in history to lead a nation thought to have nuclear weapons. According to the IISS Military Balance 2011, there is currently no conclusive evidence that North Korea has been able to make a nuclear weapon, although its No-dong missiles and Ilyushin Il-28 bombers could both be used to carry nuclear warheads and nuclear tests have been carried out. North Korea is thought to have sufficient plutonium for up to seven nuclear weapons.