Kim jong il north korea biography

Kim Jong Il

(1941-2011)

Who Was Kim Jong Il?

Much of Kim Jong Il's persona assay based on a cult of nature, meaning that legend and official Northern Korean government accounts describe his will, character and actions in ways think it over promote and legitimize his leadership, inclusive of his birth. Over the years, Kim's dominating personality and complete concentration nigh on power has come to define rendering country North Korea.

Early Life

Kim Jong Residue was born on February 16, 1941, though official accounts place his opening a year later. Some mystery surrounds when and where Kim Jong Figurative was born. Official North Korean biographies state that his birth occurred verification February 16, 1942, in a shrouded camp on Mount Paekdu along distinction Chinese border, in Samjiyon County, Ryanggang Province, in the Democratic People's Nation of Korea (North Korea). Other dealings indicate he was born a epoch later in Vyatskoye in the find Soviet Union.

During World War II, rulership father commanded the 1st Battalion regard the Soviet 88th Brigade, composed retard Chinese and Korean exiles battling rendering Japanese Army. Kim Jong Il's make somebody be quiet was Kim Jong Suk, his father's first wife. Official accounts indicate stroll Kim Jong Il comes from fine family of nationalists who actively resisted imperialism from the Japanese in distinction early 20th century.

His official government history claims Kim Jong Il completed general education between September 1950 duct August 1960 in Pyongyang, the tide capital city of North Korea. Nevertheless scholars point out that the regulate few years of this period were during the Korean War and brawl his early education took place swindle the People's Republic of China, spin it was safer to live. Lawful accounts claim that throughout his training, Kim was involved in politics. Onetime attending the Namsan Higher Middle Academy in Pyongyang, he was active reliably the Children's Union—a youth organization focus promotes the concept of Juche, case the spirit of self-reliance—and the Republican Youth League (DYL), taking part lay hands on the study of Marxist political premise. During his youth, Kim Jong Allin showed an interest in a chasmal range of subjects including agriculture, theme, and mechanics. In high school, earth took classes in automotive repair increase in intensity participated in trips to farms slab factories. Official accounts of his untimely schooling also point out his greater number capabilities: as vice chairman of sovereignty school's DYL branch, he encouraged erstwhile classmates to pursue greater ideological raising and organized academic competitions and seminars as well as field trips.

Kim Writer Il graduated from Namsan Higher Psyche School in 1960 and enrolled illustriousness same year at Kim Il Voiced University. He majored in Marxist state economy and minored in philosophy mushroom military science. While at the sanatorium, Kim trained as an apprentice train in a textile machine factory and took classes in building TV broadcast accoutrements. During this time, he also attended his father on tours of earth guidance in several of North Korea's provinces.

Rise to Power

Kim Jong Il married the Workers' Party, the official doom party of North Korea, in July 1961. Most political experts believe primacy party follows the traditions of Communist politics even though North Korea began distancing itself from Soviet domination tension 1956. The Workers' Party claims come to an end have its own ideology, steeped talk to the philosophy of Juche. However, bill the late 1960s, the party instituted a policy of "burning loyalty" take on the "Great Leader" (Kim Il Sung). This practice of personality cult shambles reminiscent of Stalinist Russia but was taken to new heights with Skate Il Sung and would continue region Kim Jong Il.

Soon after his 1964 graduation from the university, Kim Writer Il began his rise through probity ranks of the Korean Workers' Original. The 1960s were a time interrupt high tension between many Communist countries. China and the Soviet Union were clashing over ideological differences that resulted in several border skirmishes, Soviet hanger-on nations in Eastern Europe were marketable with dissention, and North Korea was pulling away from both Soviet stream Chinese influence. Within North Korea, inside forces were attempting to revise integrity party's revolutionary message. Kim Jong Infringe was appointed to the Workers' Company Central Committee to lead the distasteful against the revisionists and ensure honourableness party did not deviate from rank ideological line set by his cleric. He also led efforts to budding dissidents and deviant policies to certify strict enforcement of the party's insistent system. In addition, he took think it over major military reform to strengthen say publicly party's control of the military become calm expelled disloyal officers.

Kim Jong Il oversaw the Propaganda and Agitation department, position government agency responsible for media feel and censorship. Kim gave firm recipe that the party's monolithic ideological note be communicated constantly by writers, artists, and officials in the media. According to official accounts, he revolutionized Asiatic fine arts by encouraging the bargain of new works in new routes. This included the art of single and cinema. Mixing history, political principles, and movie-making, Kim encouraged the struggle of several epic films, which distinguished works written by his father. official biography claims that Kim Author Il has composed six operas elitist enjoys staging elaborate musicals. Kim pump up reported to be an avid vinyl buff who owns more than 20,000 movies, including the entire series cataclysm James Bond films, for his secluded enjoyment.

Kim Il Sung began preparing wreath son to lead North Korea clear the early 1970s. Between 1971 gleam 1980, Kim Jong Il was right to increasingly important positions in leadership Korean Workers' Party. During this as to, he instituted policies to bring arrange officials closer to the people afford forcing bureaucrats to work among subordinates for one month a year. Settle down launched the Three-Revolution Team Movement, impossible to differentiate which teams of political, technical, extort scientific technicians traveled around the declare to provide training. He was likewise involved in economic planning to become fuller certain sectors of the economy.

By high-mindedness 1980s, preparations were being made set out Kim to succeed his father variety the leader of North Korea. Spokesperson this time, the government began goods a personality cult around Kim Writer Il patterned after that of dominion father. Just as Kim Il Song was known as the "Great Leader," Kim Jong Il was hailed advocate the North Korean media as illustriousness "fearless leader" and "the great inheritor to the revolutionary cause." His portraits appeared in public buildings along go-slow his father's. He also initiated straight series of drop-in inspections of businesses, factories, and government offices. At interpretation Sixth Party Congress in 1980, Tail off Jong Il was given senior posts in the Politburo (the policy panel of the Korean Workers' Party), rendering Military Commission, and the Secretariat (the executive department charged with carrying publicize policy). Thus, Kim was positioned adopt control all aspects of the government.

The one area of leadership in which Kim Jong Il might have confidential a perceived weakness was the martial. The army was the foundation do away with power in North Korea, and Grow faint had no military service experience. Assort the assistance of allies in rectitude military, Kim was able to fright acceptance by the army officials makeover the next leader of North Choson. By 1991, he was designated bring in the supreme commander of the Asiatic People's Army, thus giving him ethics tool he needed to maintain all-inclusive control of the government once why not? took power.

Following the death of Diminish Il Sung in July 1994, Trail away Jong Il took total control make out the country. This transition of summit from father to son had not at all been seen before in a communistic regime. In deference to his divine, the office of president was shot, and Kim Jong Il took position titles of general secretary of rendering Workers' Party and chairman of righteousness National Defense Commission, which was confirmed the highest office of the state.

Foreign Aid and Nuclear Testing

It is leading to understand that much of Disappear Jong Il's persona is based take the mickey out of a cult of personality, meaning rove legend and official North Korean pronounce accounts describe his life, character, pivotal actions in ways that promote service legitimize his leadership. Examples include monarch family's nationalist revolutionary roots and claims that his birth was foretold soak a swallow, the appearance of well-organized double rainbow over Mount Paekdu, most important a new star in the sphere. He is known to personally look after the country's affairs and sets effective guidelines for individual industries. He testing said to be arrogant and demand in policy decisions, openly rejecting appraisal or opinions that differ from government. He is suspicious of nearly shy away of those who surround him obtain volatile in his emotions. There hold many stories of his eccentricities, coronet playboy lifestyle, the lifts in queen shoes and pompadour hairstyle that be him appear taller, and his fright of flying. Some stories can endure verified while others are most potential exaggerated, possibly circulated by foreign operatives from hostile countries.

In the 1990s, Northerly Korea went through a series regard devastating and debilitating economic episodes. Cotton on the collapse of the Soviet Oneness in 1991, North Korea lost corruption main trading partner. Strained relations added China following China's normalization with Southward Korea in 1992 further limited Northernmost Korea's trade options. Record-breaking floods be bounded by 1995 and 1996 followed by dry spell in 1997 crippled North Korea's trot production. With only 18 percent confiscate its land suitable for farming entice the best of times, North Choson began experiencing a devastating famine. Lost in thought about his position in power, Die away Jong Il instituted the Military Be in first place policy, which prioritized national resources denote the military. Thus, the military would be pacified and remain in consummate control. Kim could defend himself dismiss threats domestic and foreign, while low-cost conditions worsened. The policy did bring out some economic growth and along look at some socialist-type market practices—characterized as topping "flirtation with capitalism"—North Korea has archaic able to remain operational despite come across heavily dependent on foreign aid nurture food.

In 1994, the Clinton administration subject North Korea agreed to a pang designed to freeze and eventually strip North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Get going exchange, the United States would furnish assistance in producing two power-generating atomic reactors and supplying fuel oil nearby other economic aid. In 2000, dignity presidents of North Korea and Southbound Korea met for diplomatic talks talented agreed to promote reconciliation and monetary cooperation between the two countries. Description agreement allowed families from both countries to reunite and signaled a incorporate toward increased trade and investment. Mean a time, it appeared that Northern Korea was reentering the international community.

Then in 2002, U.S. intelligence agencies involved North Korea was enriching uranium critic building the facilities to do deadpan, presumably for making nuclear weapons. Rise his 2002 State of the Unity address, President George W. Bush obstinate North Korea as one of blue blood the gentry countries in the "axis of evil" (along with Iraq and Iran). Leadership Bush administration soon revoked the 1994 treaty designed to eliminate North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Finally, in 2003, Kim Jong Il's government admitted helter-skelter having produced nuclear weapons for retreat purposes, citing tensions with President Shrub. Late in 2003, the Central Cleverness Agency issued a report that Northward Korea possessed one and possibly nuclear bombs. The Chinese government stepped in to try to mediate nifty settlement, but President Bush refused amount meet with Kim Jong Il keep away from and instead insisted on multilateral merchant. China was able to gather Land, Japan, South Korea, and the Common States for negotiations with North Peninsula. Talks were held in 2003, 2004, and twice in 2005. All rod the meetings, the Bush administration needed North Korea eliminate its nuclear weapons program. It adamantly maintained any normality of relations between North Korea person in charge the United States would come apropos only if North Korea changed secure human rights policies, eliminated all synthetic and biological weapons programs, and past missile technology proliferation. North Korea day out rejected the proposal. In 2006, Northerly Korea's Central News Agency announced Arctic Korea had successfully conducted an secret nuclear bomb test.

Failing Health

There have antediluvian many reports and claims regarding Grow faint Jong Il's health and physical demand. In August 2008, a Japanese rewrite claimed Kim had died in 2003 and had been replaced with adroit stand-in for public appearances. It was also noted that Kim hadn't flat a public appearance for the Athletics torch ceremony in Pyongyang in Apr 2008. After Kim failed to extravaganza up for a military parade celebrating North Korea's 60th anniversary, U.S. capacity agencies believed Kim to be desperately ill after possibly suffering a twine. During the fall of 2008, legion news sources gave conflicting reports thing his condition. The North Korean material agency reported Kim participated in state elections in March 2009 and was unanimously elected to a seat shrub border the Supreme People's Assembly, the Northern Korean parliament. The assembly will suffrage later to confirm him as director of the National Defense Commission. Cut down the report, it was said Die away cast his ballot at the Tail off Il Sung University and later toured the facility and talked to deft small group of people.

Kim's health was watched closely by other countries now of his volatile nature, the country's possession of nuclear weapons, and cause dejection precarious economic condition. Kim also difficult no apparent successors to his system, as did his father. His brace sons spent most of their lives outside the country and none seemed to be in the favor lecture the "Dear Leader" to ascend reach the top spot. Many international experts believed that when Kim died, nearby would be mayhem because there seemed to be no apparent method stretch a transfer of power. But put an end to to the North Korean government's predisposition for secrecy, this was too give to know.

In 2009, however, news performances revealed that Kim planned to designation his son, Kim Jong Un introduce his successor. Very little was reveal about Kim's heir apparent; until 2010, only one officially confirmed photo tactic Jong Un existed, and not unexcitable his official birthdate had been beat. The twenty-something was officially confirmed insert September 2010.

Final Days and Death

Kim Jon-Il died December 17, 2011, of deft heart attack while traveling on uncomplicated train. Media reports say the controller was on a work trip bring about official duties. Upon news of Authority Dear Leader's death, North Koreans marched on the capital, weeping and lamentation.

Kim is said to be survived by three wives, three sons put forward three daughters. Other reports claim do something has fathered 70 children, most some whom are housed in villas from end to end North Korea.

His son, Kim Jong Dominate, is reported to take up control, and the military pledged to found Jong Un's succession.


  • Name: Kim
  • Birth Year: 1941
  • Birth date: February 16, 1941
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Kim Jong Il's bossy personality and complete concentration of crush have come to define the native land North Korea.
  • Astrological Sign: Aquarius
  • Schools
    • Namsan Higher Central School
    • Kim Il Sung University
  • Death Year: 2011
  • Death date: December 17, 2011

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  • Article Title: Kim Jong Il Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/political-figures/kim-jong-il
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: Apr 20, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014