Kim+Jong-il

==== “We oppose the reactionary policies of the US government but we do not oppose the American people. We want to have many good friends in the United States” (Beaker). Kim Jong Il is seen as a God to North Korea, but a dictator to the people. It is not easy being the son of a fellow dictator. He has the weight of the country and its past generations on his shoulders. Having this weight on him fueled the leader inside. Although he succeeded in many things during his rule, he also failed many of his plans. From this created Kim Jong Il, one of the world’s most evil dictator (Beaker). ====
 * Introduction**

==== Kim Jong Il was born in 1942 at the Red Army base in the Russian Far East. He is Kim Il Sung’s eldest son and the only one that is born outside North Korea. Even though he wasn’t born in North Korea, the Kim family told the North Koreans that Kim Jong Il was born in a partisan camp on Mount Paektu near the Chinese border (Becker). Some say that his birth was greeted by a double rainbow over sacred Mount Paektu in northern Korea. Others say it was greeted by a new star in the heavens (Dirk). ==== ==== When Kim Jong Il was in elementary school, his father made him learn Russian. His teacher told his father that he wasn’t very good at speaking the language but was fine when writing. Kim Il Sung just wanted what was best for his son so he hired a fluent Russian speaker to observe the lessons taught by the teacher. The Russian speaker found out that the teacher was struggling behind in his/her Russian grammar. When reported back to Kim Il Sung, he immediately ordered the school to dismiss any Russian language teacher who was not absolutely fluent in the language (Sik). ==== ==== Eventually, the now fifty two year old has officially replaced his father in all three of the top ruling positions (Reid). It is absolutely normal to be compared to your father especially if he was the former dictator before you. That is exactly what happened with Kim Jong Il and his father, Kim Il Sung (Dirk). Kim Jong Il was afraid of heights and only took the train as transportation whereas his father used multiple transportation strategies (Bolton). Kim Il Sung was “...a man of evident energy and had a charm who always wore a broad smile in public”. Kim Jong Il on the other hand, just looked distracted (Reid). ==== ==== The power was handed over to Kim Jong Il when his father passed away of a heart attack (Reid). Shortly after the news broke out that North Korea’s “Great Leader” (Dirk) had died, there were rumors circulating around saying that Kim Jong Il had killed his own father because of the sudden death. Kim Jong Il was afraid that he would die by getting tied up and shot (Becker). Of course this didn’t actually happen because he died of fatigue during a train ride one Saturday. His birthday is now a national holiday in North Korea (Dirk). ====
 * P****ersonal Background**

==== Although Kim Jong Il was a dictator, he still possessed human traits. For example, he had the patients to learn Russian at a very young age and is now able to speak it fluently (Becker). People recognize him for his small structure and his trademark large glasses and khaki suit (Dirk). When comparing Kim Jong Il to his father, his father was “...a man of evident energy and had charm who always wore a broad smile in public.” Kim Jong Il didn’t exactly look like he was excited to be in front of everyone (Reid). ==== ==== The former South Korean president, Kim Dae Jung complemented Kim Jong Il by telling him that he was a person with a sharp mind. He also said that Kim Jong Il was very attentive to the rest of the world. North Koreans labeled him as a “...revolutionary and genius of literature, art and military strategy” (Dirk). Kim Jong Il’s former Russian teacher was one of the few who got to see him turn from a shy young man into a horrifying dictator. It is said that he enjoys watching films more than playing sports or exercising (Sik). ==== ==== Kim Jong Il may have many positive traits but everyone has to have at least one negative trait. The negative trait of Kim Jong Il would have to be that he is self-absorbed. Many North Koreans were extremely hungry but he kept this as a secret from his father. He spent the money on the military and for himself. Even soldiers and workers began to starve in the end (Becker). ====
 * Personality Traits**

==== Even though Kim Jong Il was a successful dictator, he had many obstacles to overcome. In 2008, there were rumors about his health when he did not attend a ceremony. He was believed to have high blood pressure and suffered a stroke (Dirk). Kim Jong Il rarely appeared in public unlike his father because he never had a smile on his face (Reid). An example of a life changing obstacle is his fear of heights. Because he was unable to overcome that fear, Kim Jong Il only traveled on ground. Kim Jong Il never overcame this fear and it only restricted him from traveling faster (Bolton). ==== ==== When Kim Jong Il was in his youthful ages, he had to take Russian but struggled with it a lot. He had a very difficult time writing the language but either way, it was not needed in his future. It is said that Kim Jong Il appears to be extremely nervous when sitting alone for an oral exam (Sik). Jimmy Carter, former U.S. president, was in Kim Jong Il’s hometown and requested to meet up with him but was denied every time. He was known for not showing his face to the public (Reid). ==== ==== Throughout his lifetime, Kim Jong Il had kept many secrets from his father and the citizens of North Korea. For example, he prevented his dad from discovering the plummeting harvest (Becker). The Koreans are not allowed access to the world news and are restricted to certain websites. It is all because Kim Jong Il did not want his people to know what it is like outside of North Korea (Bolton). His father, who had suddenly passed away in 1994 had really affected him but eventually took his father’s place as the leader (Reid). ====
 * Obstacles**

==== At the age of sixty three years old, Kim Jong Il, alone, was responsible for the deaths of four million North Koreans. If you add the total deaths caused by him and his father, it equals to about nine millions citizens. The cause of these deaths were partly because of the Korean war which took place around nineteen fifty to nineteen fifty three. The other deaths were mainly the ones put into labour camps where they eventually died on their own. During the period of his ruling, Kim Jong Il inflicted more harm on his own citizens than the enemies (Beaker). ==== ==== Kim Jong Il is one of the most powerful dictators the world has ever encountered. The United States had worked very hard with the international community’s tolerance for actions that defy global norms. The purpose of this was to stop dictators like Kim Jong Il from causing deaths to his people. It would force Kim Jong Il to treat everyone with human rights and to not starve his citizens anymore. This would mean that it is the end of his cruel ways of controlling the society (Bolton). ==== ==== It is rumored that Kim Jong Il was responsible for planning terrorist attacks on South Korea. However, Pyongyang had denied this accusation and even said that it was Western Propaganda. February sixteen of the year nineteen forty two was the day North Korea’s “Great Leader” was born. After his death at the age of sixty nine, his birthday officially became a national holiday in North Korea and is celebrated every year. To the citizens of North Korea, Kim Jong Il was known as a “genius of literature, art, and military strategy” (Dirk). ==== ==== Most people remember Kim Jong Il as a master manipulator of the Western powers but especially the United States. Kim Jong Il had made a deal with Bill Clinton and George W. Bush saying that he will not send any missiles if they promised him economic benefits. He is most remembered as the most evil tyrants of our time. Some memorable damages he has caused includes spending all the money on the military instead of feeding his starving citizens. Another example would be that he spent thirteen years attempting to assassinate a high-ranking official named Hwang Jong-yop and everyone who was related to him (Kirkpatrick). ==== ==== There has been a growing hatred from the Kim family that seems to have infected Kim Jong Il’s son, Kim Jong Un. As of this century, Kim Jong Un organizes severe punishments for those who plan to escape from North Korea and their relatives that stay behind (Kirkpatrick). In 1993, North Korea planned to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This action made the rest of the world alert to everything that North Korea did from then on. There were international news coverage on this for a period of time (Sik). ====
 * Historical Significance**


 * References**
 * Bolton, John R** "A Dictatorship at the Crossroads."//DISAM Journal of International Security Assistance Management //. 01 Oct. 2003: 75. //eLibrary //. Web. 25 Sep. 2014. **SE#2**

Dirk Godder, Berlin "OBITUARY: Kim Jong Il: The man behind North Korea's nuclear bomb." //McClatchy - Tribune Business News//. 19 Dec. 2011. //eLibrary//. Web. 04 Jan. 2015. **SE#5**

Becker, Jasper "The Depths of Evil." //New Statesman //. 04 Sep. 2006: 32. //eLibrary //. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. **SE#3**


 * Kirkpatrick, Melanie** "North Korea: Beyond Kim Jong Il: The World's Most Repressive State." //Wall Street Journal //. 20 Dec. 2011: A19. //eLibrary //. Web. 25 Sep. 2014. **SE #1**

Reid, T.R. "Kim Jong Il Succeeds Late Father as Ruler, N. Korean Radio Says." //Washington Post//. 14 Jul. 1994: a15. //eLibrary//. Web. 04 Jan. 2015. **SE#6**

Sik, Kim Hyun "The Secret History of Kim Jong IL." //Foreign Policy // 168(2008):44. //eLibrary //<span style="background-color: #f1f5f4; color: #0e0e0e; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. **SE#4**