Kim Jong-il | |
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김정일 | |
General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea |
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In office 8 October 1997 – 17 December 2011 Eternal General Secretary since 11 April 2012 Eternal leader since 7 May 2016 |
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Preceded by | Kim Il-sung |
Succeeded by | Kim Jong-un (as First Secretary) |
Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea | |
In office 8 October 1997 – 17 December 2011 |
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Deputy |
Kim Jong-un Ri Yong-ho |
Preceded by | Kim Il-sung |
Succeeded by | Kim Jong-un |
Chairman of the National Defence Commission |
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In office 9 April 1993 – 17 December 2011 Eternal Chairman since 13 April 2012 |
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Preceded by | Kim Il-sung |
Succeeded by | Kim Jong-un |
Deputy to the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th Supreme People's Assembly |
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In office 5 April 1982 – 17 December 2011 |
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Constituency | Songrim (1982-1986), Ryongsong (1986-1990), 575th (1990–1998), 666th (1998–2003), 649th (2003–2009), 333rd (2009–2011) |
Head of the Organization and Guidance Department of the Workers' Party of Korea | |
In office February 1974 – 17 December 2011 |
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Leader | Kim Il-sung |
Preceded by | Kim Yong-ju |
Succeeded by | Unknown |
Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army |
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In office 24 December 1991 – 17 December 2011 |
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Preceded by | Kim Il-sung |
Succeeded by | Kim Jong-un |
Personal details | |
Born |
Yuri Irsenovich Kim 16 February 1941 Vyatskoye, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (Soviet records) 16 February 1942 Baekdu Mountain, Japanese Korea (North Korean biography) |
Died | 17 December 2011 Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
(aged 70)
Resting place | Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea |
Political party | Workers' Party of Korea |
Spouse(s) |
Hong Il-chon (1966-1969) Kim Young-sook (1974–2011) |
Domestic partner |
Song Hye-rim (1968–2002) Ko Yong-hui (1977–2004) Kim Ok (2004–2011) |
Children |
Kim Jong-nam (1971–2017) Kim Sul-song (born 30 December 1974) Kim Jong-chul (born 25 September 1981) Kim Jong-un (born 8 January 1984) Kim Yo-jong (born 26 September 1987) |
Alma mater |
Mangyongdae Revolutionary School Kim Il-sung University |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | North Korea |
Service/branch | Korean People's Army |
Years of service | 1991–2011 |
Rank | Taewonsu (대원수, roughly translated as Grand Marshal or Generalissimo) |
Commands | Supreme Commander |
^ North Korean biographies, which claim his birth date as 16 February 1942, are generally not considered to be factually reliable. See below. |
Kim Jong-il | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | |
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Hancha | |
Revised Romanization | Gim Jeongil |
McCune–Reischauer | Kim Chŏngil |
Kim Jong-il (Korean pronunciation: [kim.dzʌŋ.il] or [kim] [tsʌŋ.il]; 16 February 1941/1942 – 17 December 2011) was the supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly referred to as North Korea, from 1994 to 2011. By the early 1980s Kim had become the heir apparent for the leadership of the country and assumed important posts in the party and army organs. He succeeded his father and founder of the DPRK, Kim Il-sung, following the elder Kim's death in 1994. Kim Jong-il was the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), Chairman of the National Defence Commission (NDC) of North Korea, and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army (KPA), the fourth-largest standing army in the world. Kim's leadership is thought to have been even more authoritarian than his father's.
During Kim's regime, the country suffered from famine, partially due to economic mismanagement, and had a poor human rights record. Kim involved his country in state terrorism and strengthened the role of the military by his Songun, or "military-first", politics. Kim's rule also saw tentative economic reforms, including the opening of the Kaesong Industrial Park in 2003.