Kim Jong-il

This is a Korean name; the family name is Kim.
Kim Jong-il
김정일
金正日

Kim Jong-il in year 2000.
Supreme Leader of North Korea
Incumbent
Assumed office 
8 July 1994
Preceded by Kim Il-sung (President)
Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea
"Highest Post" since 5 September 1998
Incumbent
Assumed office 
9 April 1993
President Kim Yong-nam
Premier Hong Song-nam
Pak Pong-ju
Kim Yong-il
Choe Yong-rim
Deputy Jo Myong-Rok
Chang Sung-taek
Preceded by Position established
Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army
Incumbent
Assumed office 
24 December 1991
Preceded by Kim Il-sung
General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea
Incumbent
Assumed office 
8 October 1997
Preceded by Kim Il-sung
Born 16 February 1941 (1941-02-16) (age 69)
Vyatskoye, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (Soviet records)
16 February 1942 (1942-02-16) (age 68)
Baekdu Mountain, Japanese Korea (North Korean records)
Political party Workers' Party of Korea
Children Kim Sul-song
Kim Il-soon
Kim Jong-nam
Kim Jong-chul
Kim Jong-un
Religion Juche[1]
Kim Jong-il
Chosŏn'gŭl 김정일
Hancha 金正日
McCune–Reischauer Kim Chŏngil
Revised Romanization Gim Jeong(-)il

Kim Jong-il (also written as Kim Jong Il, Korean: 김정일, Hanja: 金正日; born 16 February 1941) is the de facto leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (most commonly known as North Korea); the official leader of the country is still his long-deceased father Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea.[2][3][4] He is the Chairman of the National Defense Commission, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, the ruling party since 1948, and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, the fourth largest standing army in the world. In April 2009, North Korea's constitution was amended and now implicitly refers to him as the "Supreme Leader".[5] He is also referred to as the "Dear Leader," "our Father," "the General", and "Generalissimo." [6]

Contents

Childhood

Birth

Soviet records show that Kim Jong-il was born in the village of Vyatskoye, near Khabarovsk, in 1941,[7] where his father, Kim Il-sung, commanded the 1st Battalion of the Soviet 88th Brigade, made up of Chinese and Korean exiles. Kim Jong-il's mother, Kim Jong-suk, was Kim Il-sung's first wife. During his youth in the Soviet Union, Kim Jong-il was known as Yuri Irsenovich Kim (Юрий Ирсенович Ким), taking his patronymic from his father's Russified name, Ir-sen.

Kim Jong-il's official biography[8] states that he was born in a secret military camp on Baekdu Mountain (백두산) in Japanese occupied Korea on 16 February 1942.[9] Official biographers claim that his birth at Baekdu Mountain was foretold by a swallow, and heralded by the appearance of a double rainbow over the mountain and a new star in the heavens.

In 1945, Kim was three or four years old (depending on his birth year) when World War II ended and Korea regained independence from Japan. His father returned to Pyongyang that September, and in late November Kim returned to Korea via a Soviet ship, landing at Sonbong (선봉군, also Unggi). The family moved into a former Japanese officer's mansion in Pyongyang, with a garden and pool. Kim Jong-il's brother, "Shura" Kim (the first Kim Jong-il, but known by his Russian nickname), drowned there in 1948. Unconfirmed reports suggest that 5 year old Kim Jong-il might have caused the accident.[10] In 1949, his mother died in childbirth.[11] Unconfirmed reports suggest that his mother might have been shot and left to bleed to death.[10]

Education

According to his official biography, Kim completed the course of general education between September 1950 and August 1960. He attended Primary School No. 4 and Middle School No. 1 (Namsan Higher Middle School) in Pyongyang.[12][13] This is contested by foreign academics, who believe he is more likely to have received his early education in the People's Republic of China as a precaution to ensure his safety during the Korean War.[14]

Throughout his schooling, Kim was involved in politics. He was active in the Children's Union[15] and the Democratic Youth League (DYL), taking part in study groups of Marxist political theory and other literature. In September 1957 he became vice-chairman of his middle school's DYL branch. He pursued a programme of anti-factionalism and attempted to encourage greater ideological education among his classmates. He organized academic competitions and seminars, as well as helping to arrange field trips.

During his youth Kim's interests included music, agriculture and automotive repair. At school he repaired trucks and electric motors in a practice workshop, and he often visited factories and farms with his classmates.[16]:6-9

Kim Jong-il began studying at Kim Il-sung University in September 1960, majoring in Marxist political economy. His minor subjects included philosophy and military science. While at university, he also undertook production training at Pyongyang Textile Machinery Factory, as a road-working apprentice and as a worker building TV broadcasting equipment.

Kim joined the Workers' Party of Korea in July 1961. He began accompanying his father in "tours of field guidance", which consisted of visits to factories, farms and workplaces around the country.

Kim Jong-il graduated from Kim Il-sung University in April 1964.[16]:9-17

Kim is also said to have received English language education at the University of Malta in the early 1970s, on his infrequent holidays in Malta as guest of Prime Minister Dom Mintoff.[17]

The elder Kim had meanwhile remarried and had another son, Kim Pyong-il (named after Kim Jong-il's drowned brother). Since 1988, Kim Pyong-il has served in a series of North Korean embassies in Europe and is currently the North Korean ambassador to Poland. Foreign commentators suspect that Kim Pyong-il was sent to these distant posts by his father in order to avoid a power struggle between his two sons.[18]

Early political career (1964–1979)

North Korea

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After graduating in 1964, Kim Jong-il began his ascension through the ranks of the ruling Korean Workers' Party (KWP). His entrance to politics was met by the tensions within the global communist movement caused by the Sino-Soviet split. Still following Marxism-Leninism as their core ideology, the KWP had launched an offensive against elements within the party deemed revisionist. Dubbed "anti-Party revisionists", senior cadre had spread feudal Confucian ideas, attempted to water down the party's revolutionary line and ignored orders from General Secretary Kim Il-sung.[19]

Shortly after his graduation, Kim was appointed instructor and section chief to the Party Central Committee. His first activities were undertaking parts of the WPK offensive. He agitated amongst officials to ensure party activities did not deviate from the ideological line set by Kim Il-sung, and worked to reveal anti-Party revisionists. He also put in place measures to ensure the Party's ideological system was rigidly enforced among the media, writers and artists.[20]

During the late 1960s, Kim wrote a number of discourses on economics. He rallied against moves to make material incentive the primary force behind economic development, and toured the country giving guidance on technical restructuring occurring within industry at the time.[16]:25–59

Between 1967–1969, Kim turned his attention to the military. He believed bureaucrats within the Korean People's Army (KPA) were oppressing the Army's political organizations and distorting state orders. Kim decided these elements posed a threat to the WPK's control of the military. At the Fourth Plenary Meeting of the Fourth Party Committee of the KPA, he exposed certain officers believed to be responsible, who were subsequently expelled.[16]:24–25

During his early years in the Party Central Committee, Kim also oversaw activities of the Propaganda and Agitation Department, in which he worked to revolutionize the Korean fine arts. Artists were encouraged to create works new in content and form, produced by new systems and methods, and abandoning old traditions in the Korean arts.

Kim's theory was that film combined a number of artistic forms, and therefore the development of Korean cinema would in turn develop other artistic spheres. This began with film adaptations for Kim Il-sung's works written during World War II, beginning with Five Guerrilla Brothers in 1967. In the early 1970s, operatic adaptations of Kim Il-sung's works began.[16]:35–40

Kim was appointed vice-director of the Party Central Committee (PCC) in September 1970, and became an elected member of the PCC in October 1972. By 1973 he was made secretary.[16]:32

During the early 1970s, Kim worked to eliminate bureaucracy and encourage political activity amongst the people by Party officials. This included a policy forcing bureaucrats to work among workers at the next subordinate level for 20 days per month.[21]

In February 1974, Kim Jong-il was elected to the Political Committee of the PCC. By this time he had acquired the nicknames of "dear leader" and "intelligent leader", according to his official biography.[16]:48

That same year, Kim launched the Three-revolution Team Movement. Described as "a new method of guiding the revolution", the movement introduced teams which travelled around the country providing political, scientific and technical training through short courses. The expertise gained was continually developed through mass meetings in which knowledge could be shared.

Kim also led the shock-brigade movement of scientists and technicians — a similar initiative for new scientific research.[16]:61-66

During the late 1970s, Kim was involved in economic planning, including several campaigns to rapidly develop certain sectors of the economy.[16]:56-60 He worked on initiatives to build mass political movements within the military, including the Three Revolution Red Flag Movement, Red Flag Company Movement and the Red Flag Vanguard Company Movement.[16]:72

He was also active in efforts to build a campaign for the reunification of Korea. This included assisting in the formation of the International Liaison Committee for the Independent and Peaceful Reunification of Korea in 1977, attending talks between political parties and groups within the DPRK, and taking part in high-level negotiations between the DPRK and Republic of Korea.[16]:72-75

Presidium member and party secretary (1980–1994)

By the time of the Sixth Party Congress in October 1980, Kim Jong-il's control of the Party operation was complete. He was given senior posts in the Politburo, the Military Commission and the party Secretariat. When he was made a member of the Seventh Supreme People's Assembly in February 1982, international observers deemed him the heir apparent of North Korea.

At this time Kim assumed the title "Dear Leader" (친애한 지도자, chinaehan jidoja)[22] the government began building a personality cult around him patterned after that of his father, the "Great Leader". Kim Jong-il was regularly hailed by the media as the "fearless leader" and "the great successor to the revolutionary cause". He emerged as the most powerful figure behind his father in North Korea.

On 24 December 1991, Kim was also named supreme commander of the North Korean armed forces. Since the Army is the real foundation of power in North Korea, this was a vital step. Defense Minister Oh Jin-wu, one of Kim Il-sung's most loyal subordinates, engineered Kim Jong-il's acceptance by the Army as the next leader of North Korea, despite his lack of military service. The only other possible leadership candidate, Prime Minister Kim Il (no relation), was removed from his posts in 1976. In 1992, Kim Il-sung publicly stated that his son was in charge of all internal affairs in the Democratic People's Republic.

In 1992, radio broadcasts started referring to him as the "Dear Father", instead of the "Dear Leader", suggesting a promotion. His 50th birthday in February was the occasion for massive celebrations, exceeded only by those for the 80th birthday of Kim Il Sung himself on 15 April.

According to defector Hwang Jang-yop, the North Korean system became even more centralized and autocratic under Kim Jong-il than it had been under his father. Although Kim Il-sung required his ministers to be loyal to him, he nonetheless sought their advice in decision-making. In contrast, Kim Jong-il demands absolute obedience and agreement with no advice or compromise, and he views any deviation from his thinking as a sign of disloyalty. According to Hwang, Kim Jong-il personally directs even minor details of state affairs, such as the size of houses for party secretaries and the delivery of gifts to his subordinates.[23]

By the 1980s, North Korea began to experience severe economic stagnation. Kim Il-sung's policy of juche (self-reliance) cut the country off from almost all external trade, even with its traditional partners, the Soviet Union and China.

South Korea accused Kim of ordering the 1983 bombing in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar), which killed 17 visiting South Korean officials, including four cabinet members, and another in 1987 which killed all 115 on board Korean Air Flight 858.[24] A North Korean agent, Kim Hyon Hui, confessed to planting a bomb in the case of the second, saying the operation was ordered by Kim Jong-il personally.[25]

In 1992, Kim Jong-il's voice was broadcast within North Korea for the only time. During a military parade for the KPA's 60th year anniversary in Pyongyang's then Central Square (Kim Il-sung Square at present), in which Kim Il-sung attended, he approached the microphone at the grandstand and simply said "Glory to the heroic soldiers of the Korean People's Army!" Everyone in the audience clapped and the parade participants at the square grounds (which included veteran soldiers and officers of the KPA) shouted "ten thousand years" three times after that.

Ruler of North Korea

Kimg Jong il at Mansudae Apartment Complex in Pyongyang

On 8 July 1994, Kim Il-sung died, at the age of 82 from a heart attack. However, it took three years for Kim Jong-il to consolidate his power. He officially took the titles of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defense Commission on 8 October 1997. In 1998, his Defense Commission chairmanship was declared to be "the highest post of the state", so Kim may be regarded as North Korea's head of state from that date. Also in 1998, the Supreme People's Assembly wrote the president's post out of the constitution in memory of Kim Il-Sung, who was designated the country's "Eternal President". It can be argued, though, that he became the country's leader when he became leader of the Workers' Party; in most Communist countries the party leader is the most powerful person in the country.

Officially, Kim is part of a triumvirate heading the executive branch of the North Korean government along with Premier Kim Yong-il and parliament chairman Kim Yong-nam (no relations). Each nominally has powers equivalent to a third of a president's powers in most other presidential systems. Kim Jong-il is commander of the armed forces, Kim Yong-il heads the government and Kim Yong-nam handles foreign relations. In practice, however, Kim Jong-il exercises absolute control over the government and the country.

Although Kim is not required to stand for popular election to his key offices, he is unanimously elected to the Supreme People's Assembly every five years, representing a military constituency, due to his concurrent capacities as KPA Supreme Commander and Chairman of the DPRK NDC.

Economic policies

North Korea's state-controlled economy struggled throughout the 1990s, primarily due to the loss of strategic trade arrangements with the Soviet Union[26] and strained relations with China following China's normalization with South Korea in 1992.[27] In addition, North Korea experienced record-breaking floods (1995 and 1996) followed by several years of equally severe drought beginning in 1997.[28] This, compounded with only 18% arable land[29] and an inability to import the goods necessary to sustain industry,[30] led to an immense famine and left North Korea in economic shambles. Faced with a country in decay, Kim adopted a "Military-First" policy (선군정치, Sŏn'gun chŏngch'i) to strengthen the country and reinforce the regime.[31] On the national scale, this policy has produced a positive growth rate for the country since 1996, and the implementation of "landmark socialist-type market economic practices" in 2002 kept the North afloat despite a continued dependency on foreign aid for food.[32]

In the wake of the devastation of the 1990s, the government began formally approving some activity of small-scale bartering and trade. As observed by Daniel Sneider, associate director for research at the Stanford University Asia-Pacific Research Center, this flirtation with capitalism is "fairly limited, but — especially compared to the past — there are now remarkable markets that create the semblance of a free market system."[33] In 2002, Kim Jong-il declared that "money should be capable of measuring the worth of all commodities."[34] These gestures toward economic reform mirror similar actions taken by China's Deng Xiaoping in the late 1980s and early 90s. During a rare visit in 2006, Kim expressed admiration for China's rapid economic progress.[35]

Foreign relations

Kim Jong-il with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2000.

In 1998, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung implemented the "Sunshine policy" (햇볕 정책, Haetpyŏt chŏngch'aek) to improve North-South relations and to allow South Korean companies to start projects in the North. Kim Jong-il announced plans to import and develop new technologies to develop North Korea's fledgling software industry. As a result of the new policy, the Kaesong Industrial Park was constructed in 2003 just north of the de-militarized zone, with the planned participation of 250 South Korean companies, employing 100,000 North Koreans, by 2007.[36] However, by March 2007, the Park contained only 21 companies — employing 12,000 North Korean workers.[37] As of May 2010 the park currently employs over 40,000 North Korean workers.[38]

In 1994, North Korea and the United States signed an Agreed Framework which was designed to freeze and eventually dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program in exchange for aid in producing two power-generating nuclear reactors.[39] In 2002, Kim Jong-il's government admitted to having produced nuclear weapons since the 1994 agreement. Kim's regime argued the secret production was necessary for security purposes — citing the presence of United States-owned nuclear weapons in South Korea and the new tensions with the U.S. under President George W. Bush.[40] On 9 October 2006, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency announced that it had successfully conducted an underground nuclear test.

2008 health and waning power rumors

In an August 2008 issue of the Japanese newsweekly Shukan Gendai, Waseda University professor Toshimitsu Shigemura, an authority on the Korean Peninsula,[41] claimed that Kim Jong-il died of diabetes in late 2003 and had been replaced in public appearances by one or more stand-ins previously employed to protect him from assassination attempts.[42] In a subsequent best-selling book, The True Character of Kim Jong-il, Shigemura cited apparently un-named people close to Kim's family along with Japanese and South Korean intelligence sources, claiming they confirmed Kim's diabetes took a turn for the worse early in 2000 and from then until his supposed death three and a half years later he was using a wheelchair. Shigemura moreover claimed a voiceprint analysis of Kim speaking in 2004 did not match a known earlier recording. It was also noted that Kim Jong-il did not appear in public for the Olympic torch ceremony in Pyongyang on 28 April 2008. The question had reportedly "baffled foreign intelligence agencies for years."[43]

On 9 September 2008, various sources reported that after he did not show up that day for a military parade celebrating North Korea's 60th anniversary, US intelligence agencies believed Kim might be "gravely ill" after having suffered a stroke. He had last been seen in public a month earlier.[44][45] A former CIA official said earlier reports of a health crisis were likely to be accurate. North Korean media remained silent on the issue. An Associated Press report said analysts believed Kim had been supporting moderates in the foreign ministry, while North Korea's powerful military was against so-called "Six-Party" negotiations with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States aimed towards ridding North Korea of nuclear weapons. Some US officials noted that soon after rumours about Kim's health were publicized a month before, North Korea had taken a "tougher line in nuclear negotiations." In late August North Korea's official news agency reported the government would "consider soon a step to restore the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon to their original state as strongly requested by its relevant institutions." Analysts said this meant "the military may have taken the upper hand and that Kim might no longer be wielding absolute authority."[46]

By 10 September there were conflicting reports. Unidentified South Korean government officials said Kim had undergone surgery after suffering a minor stroke and had apparently "intended to attend the 9 September event in the afternoon but decided not to because of the aftermath of the surgery." High ranking North Korean official Kim Yong-nam said, "While we wanted to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the country with General Secretary Kim Jong-Il, we celebrated on our own." Song Il-Ho, North Korea's ambassador said, "We see such reports as not only worthless, but rather as a conspiracy plot." Seoul's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that "the South Korean embassy in Beijing had received an intelligence report that Kim collapsed on 22 August."[47] The New York Times reported Kim was "very ill and most likely suffered a stroke a few weeks ago, but U.S. intelligence authorities do not think his death is imminent."[48] The BBC noted that the North Korean government denied these reports, stating that Kim's health problems were "not serious enough to threaten his life,"[49][50] although they did confirm that he had suffered from a stroke on 15 August.[51]

Japan's Kyodo news agency reported on 14 September that "Kim collapsed on 14 August due to stroke or a cerebral hemorrhage, and that Beijing dispatched five military doctors at the request of Pyongyang. Kim will require a long period of rest and rehabilitation before he fully recovers and has complete command of his limbs again, as with typical stroke victims." Japan's Mainichi Shimbun said Kim occasionally lost consciousness since April.[52] Japan's Tokyo Shimbun on 15 September added that Kim is conscious "but he needs some time to recuperate from the recent stroke, with some parts of his hands and feet paralyzed. Chinese sources claim that stress brought about by the U.S. delay to remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, is one cause for the stroke. Chairman Kim is now staying at the Bongwha State Guest House on the outskirts of Pyongyang."[53]

On 19 October, North Korea reportedly ordered its diplomats to stay near their embassies to await “an important message”, according to Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun,[54] setting off renewed speculation about the health of the ailing leader.

By 29 October 2008, reports stated Kim suffered a serious setback and had been taken back to hospital.[55] The New York Times reported that Taro Aso, on 28 October 2008, stated in a parliamentary session that Kim had been hospitalized: "His condition is not so good. However, I don't think he is totally incapable of making decisions." Aso further said a French neurosurgeon was aboard a plane for Beijing, en route to North Korea. Further, Kim Sung-ho, director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers in a closed parliamentary session in Seoul that "Kim appeared to be recovering quickly enough to start performing his daily duties."[56] The Dong-a Ilbo newspaper reported "a serious problem" with Kim's health. Japan's Fuji Television Network reported that Kim's eldest son, Kim Jong Nam, traveled to Paris to hire a neurosurgeon for his father, and showed footage where the surgeon boarded flight CA121 bound for Pyongyang from Beijing on 24 October. The French weekly Le Point identified him as Francois-Xavier Roux, neurosurgery director of Paris' Sainte-Anne Hospital, but Roux himself stated he was in Beijing for several days and not North Korea.[57]

On 5 November 2008, the North's Korean Central News Agency published 2 photos showing Kim posing with dozens of Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers on a visit to military Unit 2200 and sub-unit of Unit 534. Shown with his usual bouffant hairstyle, with his trademark sunglasses and a white winter parka, Kim stood in front of trees with autumn foliage and a red-and-white banner.[58][59][60][61][62][63] The Times of London has questioned the authenticity of at least one of these photos.[64]

In November 2008, Japan's TBS TV network reported that Kim had suffered a second stroke in October, which "affected the movement of his left arm and leg and also his ability to speak."[65][66] However, South Korea's intelligence agency rejected this report.[66]

In response to the rumors regarding Kim's health and supposed loss of power, in April 2009, North Korea released a video showing Kim visiting factories and other places around the country between November and December 2008.[67] In July 2009, it was reported that Kim may be suffering from pancreatic cancer.[68][69]

Successor

Kim's three sons and his son-in-law, along with O Kuk-ryol, an army general, have been noted as possible successors, but the North Korean government has been wholly silent on this matter.[70] South Korean media have suggested Kim is grooming his son Kim Jong-chul, while defectors and Western media have suggested the possibility of his youngest known son Kim Jong-un who is described to be "just like his father", has the exact same political views and his explosive tempers, but Kim Yong Hyun, a political expert at the Institute for North Korean Studies at Seoul's Dongguk University, has said, "Even the North Korean establishment would not advocate a continuation of the family dynasty at this point."[71] Kim's eldest son Kim Jong-nam was earlier believed to be the designated heir but he appears to have fallen out of favor after being arrested at Narita International Airport near Tokyo in 2001 while traveling on a forged passport.[72]

On 2 June 2009, it was reported that Kim Jong Il's youngest son, Jong Un, was to be North Korea's next leader.[73] Like his father and grandfather, he has also been given an official sobriquet, The Brilliant Comrade.[74] It has been reported that Kim Jong Il is expected to officially designate the son as his successor in 2012.[75] However, there are reports that if leadership passes to one of the sons, Kim Jong Il's brother-in-law, Chang Sung-taek, could attempt to take power from him.[75]

Re-election as DPRK leader

On 9 April 2009, Kim was re-elected as chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission,[76] and made an appearance at the Supreme People's Assembly. This was the first time Kim was seen in public since August 2008. He was unanimously re-elected and given a standing ovation.[77]

2009 imprisonment and pardoning of American journalists

In March 2009, the North Korean military detained two American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who were working for the U.S. independent cable television network Current TV, after they allegedly crossed into North Korea from the People's Republic of China without a visa. The two reporters were found guilty of illegal entry and subsequently sentenced to twelve years of hard labor.[78] Reporters Without Borders characterized the trial and sentencing as a "sham trial",[79] and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton initially stated that the charges against the journalists were "baseless".[80]

On 4 August 2009, former U.S. President Bill Clinton met with Kim Jong-il during a "solely private mission to secure the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling."[81] According to the KCNA, Clinton conveyed a verbal message to Kim from President Barack Obama,[82] a claim denied by the Obama administration.[81] Clinton and Kim had "an exhaustive conversation" that included "a wide-ranging exchange of views on the matters of common concern," KCNA reported.[81] KCNA also reported that the National Defence Commission of North Korea, of which the Dear Leader is the Chairman, hosted a dinner in honor of Clinton, but did not go into detail about what was discussed at the reception.[82] In the early morning hours (UTC+9) of 5 August, KCNA announced that Kim Jong-il had issued a pardon to Lee and Ling.[83]

2010 visits to China

Kim was reported to have visited the People's Republic of China in May 2010. He entered the country by his personal train on 3 May, and stayed in a hotel in Dalian.[84] Kim travelled to China again in August 2010, this time with his son, fueling speculation that he is ready to hand over power to son Kim Jong-un.[85]

Cult of personality

Kim Jong-il is the centre of an elaborate personality cult inherited from his father and founder of the DPRK, Kim Il-sung. Defectors have been quoted as saying that North Korean schools deify both father and son.[86] He is often the centre of attention throughout ordinary life in the DPRK. His birthday is one of the most important public holidays in the country. On his 60th birthday (based on his official date of birth), mass celebrations occurred throughout the country on the occasion of his Hwangap.[87] Many North Koreans believe that he has the "magical" ability to "control the weather" based on his mood.[86]

One point of view is that Kim Jong Il's cult of personality is solely out of respect for Kim Il-sung or out of fear of punishment for failure to pay homage.[88] Media and government sources from outside of North Korea generally support this view,[89][90][91][92][93] while North Korean government sources say that it is genuine hero worship.[94] The song No Motherland Without You, sung by the KPA State Merited Choir, was created especially for Kim in 1992 and is one of the most popular tunes in the country.

Personal life

Family

There is no official information available about Kim Jong-il's marital history, but he is believed to have been officially married once and to have had three mistresses.[95] He has four known children:

Kim's first wife, Kim Young Sook, was the daughter of a high-ranking military official. His father Kim Il-Sung handpicked her to marry his son.[95] The two have been estranged for some years. Kim has a daughter from this marriage, Kim Sul-song (born 1974).[96]

Kim's first mistress, Song Hye-rim, was a star of North Korean films. She was married to another man when they met; Kim is reported to have forced her husband to divorce her. The relationship was not officially recognized, and after years of estrangement she is believed to have died in Moscow in the Central Clinical Hospital in 2002.[97] They had one son, Kim Jong-nam (born 1971) who is Kim Jong-il's eldest son.[98]

His second mistress, Ko Young-hee, was a Japanese-born ethnic Korean and a dancer. She had taken over the role of First Lady until her death — reportedly of cancer — in 2004. They had two sons, Kim Jong-chul, in 1981, and Kim Jong-un (also "Jong Woon" or "Jong Woong"), in 1983.[98][99]

Since Ko's death, Kim has been living with Kim Ok, his third mistress, who had served as his personal secretary since the 1980s. She "virtually acts as North Korea's first lady" and frequently accompanies Kim on his visits to military bases and in meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries. She traveled with Kim Jong Il on a secretive trip to China in January 2006, where she was received by Chinese officials as Kim's wife.[100]

Kim Jong-il is also reported to have a younger sister, Kim Kyong-Hui (김경희).[101]

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Kim Hyŏng-jik
 
 Kang Pan-sŏk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Kim Jong-suk
 
 Kim Il-sung
 
 Kim Sŏng-ae
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kim Young-sook
 
 
 Song Hye-rim
 
 Kim Jong-il
 
 Ko Young-hee
 
 Kim Ok
 
 Kim Kyong-hui
 
 Chang Sung-taek
 
 Kim Pyong Il
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Kim Sul-Song
 
 Kim Jong-nam
 
 Kim Jong-chul
 
 Kim Jong-un
 
 
 

Personality

Like his father, Kim has a fear of flying,[102] and has always traveled by private armored train for state visits to Russia and China. The BBC reported that Konstantin Pulikovsky, a Russian emissary who traveled with Kim across Russia by train, told reporters that Kim had live lobsters air-lifted to the train every day.[103]

Kim is said to be a huge film buff, owning a collection of more than 20,000 video tapes.[104] His reported favorite franchises include Friday the 13th, Rambo, Godzilla, Hong Kong action cinema,[105] and any movie starring Elizabeth Taylor.[106] He is also a fan of James Bond movies despite taking personal offense to the film Die Another Day because antagonists are North Koreans. He is the author of the book On the Art of the Cinema. In 1978, on Kim's orders, South Korean film director Shin Sang-ok and his actress wife Choi Eun-hee were kidnapped in order to build a North Korean film industry.[107] In 2006 he was involved in the production of the Juche-based movie Diary of a Girl Student – depicting the life of a girl whose parents are scientists – with a KCNA news report stating that Kim "improved its script and guided its production".[108]

Although Kim enjoys many foreign forms of entertainment, according to former bodyguard Lee Young Kuk, he refused to consume any food or drink not produced in North Korea, with the exception of wine from France.[109] His former sushi chef Kenji Fujimoto, however, has stated that Kim has sometimes sent him around the world to purchase a variety of foreign delicatessen.[110]

Kim reportedly also enjoys basketball. Former United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright ended her summit with Kim by presenting him with a basketball signed by NBA legend Michael Jordan.[111] Also an apparent golfer, North Korean state media reports that Kim routinely shoots three or four holes-in-one per round[112] (The odds of making a single hole-in-one in one round are around 1 in 5,000).[113] His official biography also claims Kim has composed six operas and enjoys staging elaborate musicals.[114] Kim also refers to himself as an Internet expert.[115]

U.S. Special Envoy for the Korean Peace Talks, Charles Kartman, who was involved in the 2000 Madeleine Albright summit with Kim, characterised Kim Jong-il as a reasonable man in negotiations, to the point, but with a sense of humor and personally attentive to the people he was hosting.[116] However, psychological evaluations conclude that Kim Jong-il’s antisocial features, such as his fearlessness in the face of sanctions and punishment, serve to make negotiations extraordinarily difficult.[117]

The field of psychology has long been fascinated with the personality assessment of dictators, a notion that resulted in an extensive personality evaluation of Kim Jong-il. The report, compiled by Frederick L. Coolidge and Daniel L. Segal (with the assistance of a South Korean psychiatrist considered an expert on Kim Jong-il’s behavior), concluded that the “big six” group of personality disorders shared by dictators Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein (sadistic, paranoid, antisocial, narcissistic, schizoid, and schizotypal) were also shared by Kim Jong-il—coinciding primarily with the profile of Saddam Hussein.[117] The evaluation also finds that Kim Jong-il appears to pride himself on North Korea’s independence, despite the extreme hardships it appears to place on the North Korean people—an attribute appearing to emanate from his antisocial personality pattern.[117] This notion also encourages other cognitive issues, such as self-deception, as subsidiary components to Kim Jong-il’s personality. Many of the stories about Kim Jong Il's eccentricities and decadent life-style are exaggerated, possibly circulated by South Korean intelligence to discredit the Northern regime.[118] Defectors claim that Kim has 17 different palaces and residences all over North Korea, including a private resort near Baekdu Mountain, a seaside lodge in the city of Wonsan, and a palace complex northeast of Pyongyang surrounded with multiple fence lines, bunkers, and anti-aircraft batteries.[119]

Finances

According to the Sunday Telegraph, Kim has US$4 billion secreted in banks in Europe in case he ever needs to flee North Korea. The newspaper reported that most of the money was in banks in Luxembourg.[120]

Official titles

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ http://www.adherents.com/largecom/Juche.html
  2. ↑ "Ansa.it". Ansa.it. 28 September 2009. http://www.ansa.it/ansalatina/notizie/fdg/200909281404357105/200909281404357105.html. Retrieved 11 March 2010. 
  3. ↑ http://www.slate.com/id/2180464/
  4. ↑ 10th Supreme People's Assembly. (15 September 1998). "DPRK's Socialist Constitution (Full Text)". The People's Korea. http://www1.korea-np.co.jp/pk/061st_issue/98091708.htm. Retrieved 1 August 2007. 
  5. ↑ "N Korea constitution bolsters Kim". BBC News. 29 September 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8279830.stm. Retrieved 7 May 2010. 
  6. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0456012/
  7. ↑ "Profile: Kim Jong-Il" BBC News. Ed. Steve Herrmann. 9 October 2006. Retrieved 17 December 2007.
  8. ↑ "Biography of the Dear Leader Kim Jong Il". Korea-dpr.com. http://www.korea-dpr.com/articles-ng/biography-kimjongil.htm. Retrieved 5 December 2008. 
  9. ↑ Kim Jong Il - Short Biography. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Press, 1998, p. 1.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Post, Jerrold M.; Alexander George (2004). Leaders and their followers in a dangerous world: the psychology of political behavior. Cornell University Press. pp. 243–244. ISBN 9780801441691. 
  11. ↑ "The Kims' North Korea", Asia Times, 4 June 2005.
  12. ↑ Kim Jong Il - Short Biography. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Press, 1998, p. 5.
  13. ↑ Kim Hyun Sik, "THE SECRET HISTORY of KIM JONG IL", Foreign Policy, 1 september 2008, issue 168, p.44
  14. ↑ Martin, Bradley K. (2004). Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader, New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-32221-6
  15. ↑ Kim Jong Il - Short Biography. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Press, 1998, p. 4.
  16. ↑ 16.00 16.01 16.02 16.03 16.04 16.05 16.06 16.07 16.08 16.09 16.10 Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Press, 1998
  17. ↑ "Kim is a baby rattling the sides of a cot", Guardian Unlimited, 30 December 2002.
  18. ↑ "Happy Birthday, Dear Leader - who's next in line?", Asia Times, 14 February 2004.
  19. ↑ Mansourov, Alexandre. Korean Monarch Kim Jong Il: Technocrat Ruler of the Hermit Kingdom Facing the Challenge of Modernity, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
  20. ↑ Kim Jong Il - Short Biography. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Press, 1998, pp. 18–23
  21. ↑ Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Press, 1998, p. 35
  22. ↑ "North Korea's dear leader less dear", Fairfax Digital, 19 November 2004.
  23. ↑ "Testimony of Hwang Jang-yop". http://www.fas.org/irp/world/rok/nis-docs/hwang2.htm. 
  24. ↑ "North Korea: Nuclear Standoff", The Online NewsHour, PBS, 19 October 2006.
  25. ↑ "Fake ashes, very real North Korean sanctions", Asia Times Online, 16 December 2004.
  26. ↑ "Prospects for trade with an integrated Korean market", Agricultural Outlook, April, 1992.
  27. ↑ "Why South Korea Does Not Perceive China to be a Threat", China in Transition, 18 April 2003.
  28. ↑ "An Antidote to disinformation about North Korea", Global Research, 28 December 2005.
  29. ↑ "North Korea Agriculture", Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Retrieved 11 March 2007.
  30. ↑ "Other Industry - North Korean Targets" Federation of American Scientists, 15 June 2000.
  31. ↑ "North Korea’s Military Strategy", Parameters, US Army War College Quarterly, 2003.
  32. ↑ "Kim Jong-il's military-first policy a silver bullet", Asia Times Online, 4 January 2007.
  33. ↑ "North Korea's Capitalist Experiment", Council on Foreign Relations, 8 June 2006.
  34. ↑ "On North Korea's streets, pink and tangerine buses", Christian Science Monitor, 2 June 2005.
  35. ↑ "Inside North Korea: A Joint U.S.-Chinese Dialogue", United States Institute of Peace, January 2007.
  36. ↑ "Asan, KOLAND Permitted to Develop Kaesong Complex", The Korea Times, 23 April 2004.
  37. ↑ "S. Korea denies U.S. trade pact will exclude N. Korean industrial park", Yonhap News, 7 March 2007.
  38. ↑ "South Korea dials back tough talk over Cheonan sinking", Christian Science Monitor, 31 May 2010.
  39. ↑ "History of the 'Agreed Framework' and how it was broken", About: U.S. Gov Info/Resources, 12 March 2007.
  40. ↑ "Motivation Behind North Korea's Nuclear Confession", GLOCOM Platform, 28 October 2002.
  41. ↑ Sheridan, Michael (7 September 2008). "North Korea ‘uses doubles to hide death of Kim’ - Times Online". London: Timesonline.co.uk. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4692472.ece. Retrieved 5 December 2008. 
  42. ↑ "N Korea's Kim died in 2003; replaced by lookalike, says Waseda professor", Japan Today, 24 August 2008.
  43. ↑ Sheridan, Michael, "North Korea ‘uses doubles to hide death of Kim’", Sunday Times, 7 September 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
  44. ↑ "U.S.: Kim Jong Il may have suffered stroke". MSNBC. 9 September 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26622075/. Retrieved 9 September 2008. 
  45. ↑ "US intel thinks North Korean leader Kim Jong Il may be sick after he fails to show at parade". Star Tribune. 9 September 2008. http://www.startribune.com/nation/28048604.html. Retrieved 9 September 2008. 
  46. ↑ Hess, Pamela and Lee, Matthew, Kim Jong Il may be gravely ill, jeopardizing talks, Associated Press, 9 September 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
  47. ↑ "AFP.Google.com, NKorea's Kim suffered minor stroke: report". http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5j2zReXndGtxbEQ9gsY3SWxImKHHw. 
  48. ↑ "english.kbs.co.kr, 'NK Leader Suffered Stroke, Death Not Imminent'". http://english.kbs.co.kr/news/newsview_sub.php?menu=8&key=2008091021. 
  49. ↑ "Mystery has surrounded Kim Jong Il". CNN. 10 September 2008. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/09/09/nkorea.kim/. Retrieved 7 May 2010. 
  50. ↑ "N Korea insists Kim is not unwell". BBC News. 10 September 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7607513.stm. Retrieved 5 January 2010. 
  51. ↑ Jae-Soon Chang (11 September 2008). "N Korea: Kim Had Brain Surgery". Time via Associated Press. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1840419,00.html. Retrieved 11 September 2008. 
  52. ↑ "theseoultimes.com, Kim collapsed on Aug. 14". http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=7245. 
  53. ↑ "asia.news.yahoo.com, Kim Jong Il Out of Public View as Major Holiday Passes". http://asia.news.yahoo.com/080915/4/3p21c.html. 
  54. ↑ "Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper". http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_JAPAN_NORTH_KOREA_ASOL-?SITE=YOMIURI&SECTION=HOSTED_ASIA&TEMPLATE=ap_national.html. 
  55. ↑ "Report sparks more speculation on Kim Jong Il's health". http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/world/asia/report-sparks-more-speculation-on-kim-jong-ils-health-14018927.html. 
  56. ↑ Onishi, Norimitsu (29 October 2008). "Kim Jong-Il Hospitalized but at Helm, Japan Says". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/world/asia/29kim.html?ref=asia. Retrieved 7 May 2010. 
  57. ↑ "LCI, Corée du Nord: Le chirurgien français dément toute visite à Kim Jong II". http://tf1.lci.fr/infos/monde/asie/0,,4141229,00-le-chirurgien-francais-dement-tout-visite-a-kim-jong-ii-.html. 
  58. ↑ "AFP.Google.com". http://afp.google.com/media/ALeqM5ikrDW2BrCj5Y3MTang70ZE_smGwQ?size=s. Retrieved 11 March 2010. 
  59. ↑ (AFP) – Nov 4, 2008 (4 November 2008). "AFP.Google.com, French brain surgeon admits visiting Pyongyang: report". Afp.google.com. http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBLJIU2BX0waPQyOREz9HYBInH8g. Retrieved 11 March 2010. 
  60. ↑ edition.cnn.com, N. Korea: Kim Jong Il tours military units
  61. ↑ http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/04/nkorea.kim.ap/art.korea.ap.jpg
  62. ↑ "news.xinhuanet.com/english, Kim Jong Il watches army training". News.xinhuanet.com. 5 November 2008. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/05/content_10310320.htm. Retrieved 11 March 2010. 
  63. ↑ "Xinhuanet.com". http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-11/05/xin_472110505145550016711.jpg. Retrieved 11 March 2010. 
  64. ↑ "Kim Jong Il: digital trickery or an amazing recovery from a stroke?". The Times (London). 7 November 2008. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article5101905.ece. Retrieved 7 May 2010. 
  65. ↑ "dailymail.co.uk, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il 'suffers second stroke'". Daily Mail (London). 11 November 2008. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1084685/North-Korean-leader-Kim-Jong-Il-suffers-second-stroke.html. 
  66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 "Kim Jong-il had possible second stroke". Reuters. 11 November 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AA0GS20081111. 
  67. ↑ BBC: Video of Kim Jong-il, 7 April 2009
  68. ↑ Sang-Hun, Choe (12 July 2009). "Kim Jong-il Said to Have Pancreatic Cancer". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/13/world/asia/13korea.html. Retrieved 13 July 2009. 
  69. ↑ "Kim Jong-il Said to Have Pancreatic Cancer". BBC News. 12 July 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8147048.stm. Retrieved 13 July 2009. 
  70. ↑ "Possible successors to North Korea's Kim". Reuters. 10 September 2008. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSSEO30011320080910. 
  71. ↑ "North Korea silent over Kim Jong Il successor", India eNews, 14 February 2007
  72. ↑ "Japan deports man claiming to be Kim Jong-Nam", ABC News:The World Today, 4 May 2001 See also: Family tree BBC
  73. ↑ North Korean leader Kim Jong-il 'names youngest son as successor', The Guardian, 2 June 2009
  74. ↑ "North Korea: A 'Brilliant Comrade'". The New York Times. 12 June 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/13/world/asia/13briefs-NKOREAKIM.html. Retrieved 13 June 2009. 
  75. ↑ 75.0 75.1 "Report: NKorea's Kim has pancreatic cancer", Associated Press, 12 July 2009.
  76. ↑ "KCNA.co.jp". KCNA.co.jp. 9 April 2009. http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2009/200904/news09/20090409-04ee.html. Retrieved 11 March 2010. 
  77. ↑ N Korea leader appears in public, BBC News Online, 9 April 2009
  78. ↑ Herskovitz, Jon (8 June 2009). "N.Korea finds US journalists guilty, 12 yr sentence". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSSEO61136. Retrieved 8 June 2009. 
  79. ↑ American reporters get “very severe” 12-year sentences designed to scare all foreign journalists. Reporters Sans Frontières. 8 June 2009. http://www.rsf.org/American-reporters-get-very-severe.html. Retrieved 8 June 2009. 
  80. ↑ "North Korea jails US journalists". BBC News. 8 June 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8088601.stm. Retrieved 8 June 2009. 
  81. ↑ 81.0 81.1 81.2 "Bill Clinton meets with N. Korea leader". CNN. 4 August 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/04/nkorea.clinton/index.html. Retrieved 4 August 2009. 
  82. ↑ 82.0 82.1 "Clinton Conveys Obama's Message to NK Leader". Korean Broadcasting System. 4 August 2009. http://english.kbs.co.kr/News/News/News_view.html?page=1&No=65567&id=In. Retrieved 4 August 2009. 
  83. ↑ "N. Korean leader reportedly pardons U.S. journalists". CNN. 4 August 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/04/nkorea.clinton/index.html. Retrieved 4 August 2009. 
  84. ↑ "North Korea's Kim 'visits China'". BBC News. 3 May 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8657688.stm. Retrieved 7 May 2010. 
  85. ↑ "North Korean leader Kim Jong-il 'visiting China with his son'". BBC News. 26 August 2010. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/26/north-korean-leader-china. Retrieved 28 August 2010. 
  86. ↑ 86.0 86.1 Chol-hwan Kang and Pierre Rigoulot (2005). The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag, Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-01104-7
  87. ↑ ""North Korea marks leader's birthday"". BBC. 16 February 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1823713.stm. Retrieved 18 December 2007. 
  88. ↑ Mansourov, Alexandre. ""Korean Monarch Kim Jong Il: Technocrat Ruler of the Hermit Kingdom Facing the Challenge of Modernity" The Nautilus Institute. Accessed 18 December 2007"]. http://www.nautilus.org/DPRKbriefingbook/negotiating/issue.html. 
  89. ↑ Scanlon, Charles (16 February 2007). ""Nuclear deal fuels Kim's celebrations"". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6368203.stm. Retrieved 18 December 2007. 
  90. ↑ Coonan, Clifford (21 October 2006). ""Kim Jong Il, the tyrant with a passion for wine, women and the bomb"". London: The Independent. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article1916374.ece. Retrieved 18 December 2007. 
  91. ↑ Richard Lloyd Parry. "'Dear Leader' clings to power while his people pay the price", The Times. 10 October 2006. Accessed 18 December 2007
  92. ↑ ""'North Korea's 'Dear Leader' flaunts nuclear prowess"". New Zealand Herald. 10 October 2006. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=340&ObjectID=10405224. Retrieved 18 December 2007. 
  93. ↑ Compiled by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices" US Department of State. 25 February 2004. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
  94. ↑ Jason LaBouyer "When friends become enemies — Understanding left-wing hostility to the DPRK" Lodestar. May/June 2005: pp. 7–9. Korea-DPR.com. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
  95. ↑ 95.0 95.1 "The Women in Kim's Life".Time Asia, 23 June 2003.
  96. ↑ 96.0 96.1 "Kim Jong-Il's Daughter Serves as His Secretary", The Seoul Times.
  97. ↑ Martin, Bradley K. (2004). Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty. New York, NY: Thomas Dunne Books. pp. 693–694. ISBN 0-312-32322-0. "Although a flurry of press dispatches at the time her sister defected claimed that Hye-rim had gone with Hye-rang, in fact, [Hye-rim] continued to live in Moscow until she died in May 2002." 
  98. ↑ 98.0 98.1 "Kim's Secret Family", Time Asia, 23 June 2003.
  99. ↑ N.Korea Heir Apparent 'Given More Auspicious Birthday'. The Chosun Ilbo. December 11, 2009.
  100. ↑ "Report: Kim Jong Il Living With Former Secretary", Fox News, 24 July 2006.
  101. ↑ "Dictator Kim Jong-il's younger sister makes comeback to power in North Korea". London: Daily Mail. 19 February 2010. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1251955/Dictator-Kim-Jong-ils-younger-sister-makes-comeback-power-North-Korea.html. Retrieved 25 February 2010. 
  102. ↑ Swift, Andrew (4 May 2010). "Profiles in Phobia". Foreign Policy. The Washington Post Company. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/05/04/profiles_in_phobia. Retrieved 6 May 2010. 
  103. ↑ "Profile: Kim Jong-il", BBC News, 31 July 2003.
  104. ↑ "North Korean leader loves Hennessey, Bond movies", CNN Washington, Jan. 8, 2003.
  105. ↑ "The Madness of Kim Jong Il", Guardian Unlimited, 2 November 2003.
  106. ↑ "Movie-buff Kim Jong-Il seeks joint foreign film ventures ", World Tribune.com, 18 October 2005.
  107. ↑ "Kidnapped by North Korea", BBC News, 5 March 2003.
  108. ↑ "Film 'Diary of a Girl Student', Close Companion of Life", Korea News Service, 10 August 2006.
  109. ↑ Macintyre, Donald (February 18, 2002). "The Supremo in His Labyrinth". Time Magazine. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,201976-1,00.html. Retrieved June 9, 2010. 
  110. ↑ Kim Jong-il Satisfies his Gourmet Appetite while his People Starve. The Chosun Ilbo. June 27, 2004.
  111. ↑ "The oddest fan", Union-Tribune, 29 October 2006.
  112. ↑ "Move over Tiger: N. Korea's Kim shot 38 under par his 1st time out", World Tribune, 16 June 2004.
  113. ↑ "The odds on making a hole-in-one". Golf Digest via Bnet. March 2000. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0HFI/is_3_51/ai_59554906/. Retrieved 16 June 2009. 
  114. ↑ "Profile: Kim Jong-il", BBC News, 9 June 2000.
  115. ↑ "North Korea Kim Jong Il an Internet Expert", FOX News, 5 October 2007.
  116. ↑ "Interview: Charles Kartman". Frontline (Public Broadcasting Service). 20 February 2003. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kim/interviews/kartman.html. Retrieved 14 April 2010. 
  117. ↑ 117.0 117.1 117.2 "Is Kim Jong-il like Saddam Hussein and Adolf Hitler? A personality disorder evaluation" by Frederick L. Coolidge and Daniel L. Segal, 2008.
  118. ↑ "Kim Jong-il" by GlobalSecurity.org, http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/dprk/kim-jong-il.htm
  119. ↑ "Kim Jong Il, Where He Sleeps and Where He Works", Daily NK, 15 March 2005.
  120. ↑ Arlow, Oliver, "Kim Jong-il keeps $4bn 'emergency fund' in European banks", Sunday Telegraph, March 14, 2010.

Further reading

External links

Military offices
Preceded by
Kim Il-sung		 Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army
1991–present		 Incumbent
Political offices
New office Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea
1993–present		 Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Kim Il-sung		 General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea
1997–present		 Incumbent
Chairman of the Central Military Commission
1997–present
Family of Kim Jong-il
Parents
Kim Il-sung · Kim Jong-suk
Kim Jong-Il.jpg
Wives/mistresses
Kim Young-sook · Song Hye-rim · Ko Young-hee · Kim Ok
Siblings
Kim Kyong-hui (sister) · Kim Pyong-il (brother) · Kim "Shura" Man-il (brother) · Kim Kyong-jin (sister)
Children
With Young Sook
Kim Sul-song (daughter b. 1974)
With Hye-rim
Kim Jong-nam (son b. 1971)
With Ko Young-hee
Kim Jong-chul (son b. 1981) · Kim Jong-un (son b. 1983)
Grandparents
Kim Hyŏng-jik (paternal grandfather)
Others
Chang Sung-taek (brother-in-law) · Kim Song-ae (stepmother)
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