Kim Jong-il

Biography

Kim Jong-il (16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician and military leader, serving as the country's Supreme Leader from 1994 until he died in 2011. Born in Ussuriysk in the Soviet Union, he was the son of Kim Il-sung, founder and first leader of North Korea. He studied at the Mangyongdae Revolutionary School, Kim Il-sung University, and the University of Malta. By the early 1980s, Kim was firmly set as his father's successor, taking on important roles in the Korean Workers' Party and the military. After Kim Il-sung died in July 1994, he took full control of the country, serving as General Secretary of the Workers' Party, Chairman of the National Defence Commission, and Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, one of the largest armies worldwide.

Kim's rule was marked by a harsh totalitarian regime that tightly controlled almost all aspects of life in North Korea. He came to power during a severe economic crisis after the Soviet Union, a key trading partner, fell apart, leading to a catastrophic famine in the mid-to-late 1990s, which killed hundreds of thousands. Despite this disaster, Kim focused on military strength with his 'Songun,' or military-first policy, that funneled national resources to the armed forces and boosted the military's role in society. His government faced international criticism for widespread human rights abuses, including running a vast system of political prison camps.

Even with the economic challenges, Kim's regime saw limited economic experiments, like the Kaesong Industrial Complex in 2003, a joint industrial area with South Korea exploring capitalist economic ideas. His government also aggressively pursued a nuclear weapons program, leading to North Korea's first successful nuclear test in October 2006, making it the ninth nuclear-armed nation. This greatly heightened tensions with the United States, South Korea, Japan, and the wider international community, resulting in increased sanctions and unsuccessful multilateral negotiations through the Six-Party Talks.

Before his political career took precedence, Kim was an influential figure in North Korean cinema and the arts. He directed and produced several state-approved films and wrote works on filmmaking, including 'On the Art of the Cinema' in 1973. He had significant control over the film industry, using it as a tool for propaganda. He was married several times, with spouses including Hong Il-chon, Song Hye-rim, Kim Young-sook, Ko Yong-hui, and Kim Ok. Kim Jong-il died on 17 December 2011 in Pyongyang, reportedly from a heart attack while aboard his private train. He was declared an Eternal Leader of the Workers' Party of Korea after his death.