Kim Jong Il

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History & Society

Kim Jong Il

North Korean political leader

Also known as: Kim Chong Il

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 25, 2024 • Article History

Kim Jong Il

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Category: History & Society

Also spelled:: Kim Chong Il

Born:: February 16, 1941, Siberia, Russia, U.S.S.R.

Died:: December 17, 2011 (aged 70)

Political Affiliation:: Korean Workers’ Party

Notable Family Members:: father Kim Il-Sung; daughter Kim Yo-Jong; son Kim Jong-Un; son Kim Jong-Nam

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Recent News

Mar. 25, 2024, 10:19 AM ET (AP)

North Korea says Japan's prime minister offered to meet with leader Kim Jong Un soon

Kim Jong Il (born February 16, 1941, Siberia, Russia, U.S.S.R.—died December 17, 2011) was a North Korean politician, son of the former North Korean premier and (communist) Korean Workers’ Party (KWP) chairman Kim Il-Sung, and successor to his father as ruler (1994–2011) of North Korea. The official North Korean version of Kim Jong Il’s life, different from the biography documented elsewhere, says that he was born at a guerrilla base camp on Mount Paektu, the highest point on the Korean peninsula; it attributes many precocious abilities to him; and it claims his birth was accompanied by such auspicious signs as ...(100 of 977 words)

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