Kim Jong Il

Kim Jong Il (1941 or 1942-2011) - North Korean statesman, political, party and military leader, Great Leader of the DPRK, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Labor Party of Korea, Chairman of the State Defense Committee, son of the Great Leader Kim Il Sung. Generalissimo of the DPRK (posthumously).

There are many interesting facts in the biography of Kim Jong Il, which we will tell about in this article.

So, here is a short biography of Kim Jong Il.

Biography of Kim Jong Il

According to Soviet data, Kim Jong Il was born on February 16, 1941 (according to the DPRK, on February 16, 1942). He grew up and was brought up in the family of the founder of the DPRK Kim Il Sung and his wife Kim Jong Suk, who was a party leader.

Childhood and youth

Many facts from the biography of Kim Jong Il are ambiguous, since Soviet and North Korean historians provide their own data on the life of the Great Leader. It is believed that he was born in the village of Vyatskoye (Khabarovsk region) and at birth was named Yuri Irsenovich Kim.

However, North Korean biographers claim that Kim Jong Il was born in a wooden hut at the very top of Changsubong, next to the highest and revered mountain in the DPRK - Paektusan.

In addition, historians assure that at the time of the birth of the boy, a double rainbow and a bright star appeared in the sky. This is how the birth of the former head of the republic is presented to the North Koreans today.

Kim Jong-il had a sister, Kim Kyong-hee, who later became the only female general in the state, and also a half-brother of Kim Pyeong Il.

It is believed that the Korean lived in the USSR until the end of World War II (1939-1945). After that, he was taken to Pyongyang, but due to the outbreak of the Korean War (1950-1953), the child was sent to China. There he received his school education, after which he returned home. In North Korea, Kim graduated from a university where he studied political economy.

Politician

When Kim Jong Il was in his 20s, he joined the Workers' Party of Korea. As the son of the head of the DPRK, his political career developed at a rapid pace. As a result, he became the Secretary of the Central Committee of the party and successor of the chairman of the party, Kim Il Sung.

Kim Jong-il is beginning to be called the "Center of the Party", glorifying and praising his boundless wisdom. Before that, only his father had received such praise.

In the 1980s, almost all domestic political issues were decided by Kim Jong Il himself, while his father took part only in international relations. In this way, Kim Il Sung helped his son and his successor to independently learn how to manage state affairs.

In 1991, Kim Il Sung transferred the powers of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Korean troops to his son. A week after his appointment, Chen Il was awarded the title of Marshal of the Republic, and a year later he became Chairman of the State Defense Committee of the country.

North Korean leader

In 1994, Kim Il Sung died of a heart attack, as a result of which all power passed into the hands of Kim Jong Il. An interesting fact is that after the death of the founder of the DPRK, mourning was declared in the state, which lasted for 3 years!

Kim Jong Il received all the rights of the head of the republic, with the exception of the title of father. As a result, they began to call him “The Great Leader”. During the 15 years of the DPRK leadership, he was often accused by the international community of human rights violations, including:

public executions;
slavery;
forced abortion;
the creation of concentration camps;
the theft of South Koreans and Japanese;
lack of freedom of speech;
a ban on reading and listening to foreign news.

But since the DPRK was and remains a completely closed state, it is very difficult to prove or refute such accusations. In addition, during the reign of Kim Jong Il, the cult of personality flourished in the republic. The “great leader” was praised and deified in every possible way, saying only good things about him.

Portraits of the leader were supposed to hang in every state institution, and any criticism was punishable by exile in concentration camps. The biography of Kim Jong Il, like his father, was carefully studied not only in educational institutions, but also in kindergartens.

Every North Korean should have known that he fully owed his happy life to the leader of the DPRK. All books or newspapers began with Kim Jong Il's statements, poems and odes of praise were composed in his honor, and his birthday was declared one of the main holidays in the country.

An interesting fact is that the citizens of the republic believe that Kim Jong Il is a talented composer who has created 6 wonderful operas in 2 years, as well as a scientist who is the author of fundamental works on philosophy, art, literature, history and politics.

In addition, the North Koreans are confident that Kim Jong Il is the consummate architect who designed the Juche Tower in Pyongyang. He is also an excellent culinary specialist who made the first hamburger on the planet; the world's best golfer; recognized expert in the field of the Internet and mobile systems.

Personal life

Over the years of his personal biography, Kim Jong-il has been married 4 times. According to official figures, he had three sons. However, according to unofficial sources, he was the father of 17 children, 9 of whom were born out of wedlock.

The leader's first wife was actress Song Hye Rim. In this union, the couple had a boy, Kim Jong Nam. Although he was his father's firstborn and rightful heir, he was never considered to be Kim Jong Il's successor. This was due to the fact that in his youth he repeatedly tried to go abroad, which led to international scandals.

An interesting fact is that during his visit to China, Kim Jong Nam admitted that he was not interested in politics. In 2017, he was killed at one of the Malaysian airports.

The second time Kim Jong Il married Kim Yong Suk (considered the only official wife). In this marriage, a girl named Kim Seol Song was born, who worked as a secretary for her father.

The third wife of the North Korean leader was the dancer and actress Ko Yeon Hee. She gave birth to her husband a girl named Kim Ye Jung and two sons, Kim Jong Chol and Kim Jong Un. The latter will later lead the DPRK.

The fourth and last wife of Kim Jong Il was a girl named Kim Ok, who was 20 years younger than her chosen one. According to some sources, the woman is now under house confinement by order of Kim Jong-un.

Death

Kim Jong Il died on December 17, 2011 at the age of 69 or 70. It's no secret that in recent years he was very ill. The leader suffered from diabetes and heart disease.

It should be noted that the man did not care much about his health. He smoked dozens of cigars every day and was addicted to cognac. As of today, there is no single version regarding the place of his death. According to official data, the politician died in his armored train, in which he traveled around the state.

According to another version, Kim Jong Il died at home. The traditional cause of his death is a heart attack. Today, the body of the late leader is in the Kumsusan mausoleum.