Kim Jong-il

Biography

Kim Jong Il was a North Korean politician and dictator who served as the second supreme leader of North Korea following his father's death in 1994. He strengthened the role of the military through his "Songun" policies, making it central to civil society, and implemented economic reforms, including the opening of the Kaesong Industrial Park in 2003. Kim ruled North Korea as a repressive dictatorship until his death in 2011, succeeded by his son Kim Jong Un.