North Korea Leader Kim Jong-il Dies, His Life in 59 Photos

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s Life

The Korean Central News Agency reported on December 19th that North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-il passed away on the 17th.

1982 August 19th, Kim Jong-il and family.

The Korean Central News Agency reported on December 19th that North Korea’s highest leader Kim Jong-il passed away on the 17th. The report said Kim Jong-il was on his way to make local inspections and because of excessive physical and mental fatigue passed away on the train.

1942 February 16th, Kimg Kong Il was born in a secret camp on Baekdu Mountain near the Chinese-Korean border. Left is Kim Jong-il, middle is Kim Il-sung.

Kim Jong-il’s childhood picture as exposed on a French documentary.

Kim Jong-il’s childhood photograph as exposed on a French documentary.

Kim Jong-il’s childhood photo.

Kim Jong-il’s childhood photo as shown in a French documentary.

In this oil painting exhibited at the North Korean Science and Technology Museum, Kim Jong-il and his father are riding horses, and following behind is his mother. When World War II ended and Korea became independent, Kim Jong-il was only 3 years old. In the same year, Kim Jong-il’s entire family moved to Pyongyang.

1950 September to 1960, Kimg Jong Il attended Pyongyang Red Flag Revolutionary Institute and Pyongyang Namsan Higher Middle School.

Group photo of Kim Jong-il (back row, first on right) and classmates in middle school.

1960, Kim Jong-il attended Kim Il-sung University studying political economy.

In 1961 when Kim Jong-il was in his second year at Kim Il-sung University, he accompanied Chairman Kim Il-sung (died 1994) to the Taedok mountain army to provide on-site guidance, sitting in the seat next to him. This is the first time Kim Il-sung and his son provided on-site guidance together.

In 1964 after graduating, Kim Jong-il entered North Korea’s Worker’s Party. He was very quickly appointed Chief of the Guiding Organization Department of the Worker’s Party Central Committee, and then appointed to be the Deputy Minister in 1970.

1986, Kim Jong-il and his father Kim Il-sung.

1964 June to 1974 February, Kim Jong-il successively became Chief, Deputy Minister, Minister, Party Secretary, and Member of the North Korean Worker’s Party Central Committee. Photo is of Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung.

Kim Jong-il and father Kim Il-sung.

Kim Jong-il providing on-site instruction at the King in the Mountain Revolutionary Achievement construction site.

Kim Jong-il supervising the publishing of Kim Il-sung’s writing.

Kim Jong-il supervising the publishing of Chaiman Kim Il-sung’s writing.

1997 January 1st, Kim Jong-il.

From 1980 October on, he successively became a member and party secretary of the North Korean Worker’s Party Central Committee Politburo. From 1982 to 1998, he was selected to be the representative of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly.

Photo is of the book titled “The Great Teacher of Journalists”, the book was published in 1983 by North Korea.

1983 December 23rd, Pyongyang, Kim Jong-il comments on a tapestry of a tiger.

1979 March, Kim Jong-il during an inspection visit to a film shooting location.

1984 October 3rd, Kim Jong-il on an inspection visit.

1994, Kim Jong-il working in his office.

Kim Jong-il addresses the assembled masses.

1988, Kim Jong-il meeting with military representatives in Pyongyang.

Photo of an oil painting featuring Kim Il-sung and Kimg Jong Il.

1991 December 24th, Kim Jong-il appointed Commander in Chief of the North Korean military. 1992, Kim Il-sung formally appoints Kim Jong-il to be in charge of the country’s internal affairs. 1990 December to 1993 April, he successively held the office of the Supreme Commander of the North Korean People’s Army, Vice Chairman and then Chairman of the National Defense Commission. Photo is of Kim Jong-il.

1997 October 8th, Kim Jong-il becomes General Secretary of the North Korean Workers’ Party. In 1998 September and 2003 September respectively he was re-elected as Chairman of the National Defense Commission. Photo is of 1992, during one of Kim Jong-il’s inspection visits of the people.

1999 September, Kim Jong-il during an inspection visit of a farm.

2000 June 13th, North Korea’s National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il (left) and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung together in Pyongyang’s Sunan Airport inspecting the North Korean People’s Army honor guard.

2000 June 13th to 15th, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung visits North Korea and held talks with North Korea’s National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il. This was the first North-South summit meeting since the Korean peninsula was split 55 years ago.

2000 June 15th, after the 3-day summit, Prime Minister Kim Dae-jung (left) and Kim Jong-il shake hands.

2007 October 4th, Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang meeting with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and his wife. October 3rd, the 3-day North-South summit talks officially began.

2000 October 24th, Kim Jong-il and United States Secretary of State Madeline Albright toast during dinner.

2002 September 17th, former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi shake hands at a historic one-day summit.

Kim Jong-il visited China seven times before his death. Photo is of 2010 May 5th, where General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President Hu Jintao held talks with North Korean Workers’ Party General Secretary and National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.

2003 January 11th, to support North Korea’s withdrawal from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, thousands upon thousands of people gathered in Pyongyang’s main square.

2004 November 17th, in a propaganda photo, Kim Jong-il stands in a wheat field during an inspection visit.

2009 March, Kim Jong-il was elected member of the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly. In April of that year, Kim Jong-il was re-elected as Chairman of the National Defense Commission. 2010 September, at a meeting of Workers’ Party of Korea representatives, Kim Jong-il was elected General Secretary. Photo is of 2010 September 9th, when North Korea’s Supreme Leader (first on right) made an appearance at the Workers and Peasants Red Guards parade at Pyongyang’s Kim Il-sung Stadium celebrating the 63rd anniversary of the country’s founding.

2008 November 2nd, Kim Jong-il watching the North Korean’ People’s Army football match.

2010 March 7th, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il attends a mass rally.

2008 May 6th, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il makes an inspection visit of the North Korean People’s Army 1105 regiment.

Photo of Kim Jong-il.

On this 2009 November 25th photograph, Kim Jong-il visits the Sinuiju shoe factory in Sinuiju northeast of Pyongyang.

2009 October 7th, Kim Jong-il looks at the pork products produced on October 7th at a pig farm. This farm belongs to the 534th regiment of the North Korean People’s Army.

2008 October, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visits a library.

2010 September 9th, North Korean Central News Agency released a photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during a home visit with a new member of the North Korean National Arts Theatre. The North Korean Central News Agency said Kim Jong-il that Friday visited the North Korean National Arts Theatre and the theatre performers’ apartments.

2009 February 15th, official photographs show North Korean officials in Pyongyang celebrating Kim Jong-il’s 67th birthday.

2010 September 28th, in North Korea’s Pyongyang, at the North Korean Workers’ Party representatives meeting. According to the North Korean Central News Agency report on the 29th, the meeting of the North Korean Workers’ Party representatives elected Kim Jong-il’s son Kim Jong-un as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Kim Jong-il as General Secretary of the North Korean Workers’ Party Central Committee, Politburo standing committee member, Politburo committee member, Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Central Committee member.

2010 October 10th local time, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il and North Korean Workers’ Party Military Commission Vice Chairman Kim Jong-un observe an evening party.

2010 October 10th, North Korean national defense chairman Kim Jong-il and successor Kim Jong-un together on a platform watching a military parade.

2011 September 10th, North Korean National Defense Chairman Kim Jong-il, North Korean Workers’ Party Military Commission Vice Chairman Kim Jong-un visit the Magnolia Audio Company in Pyongyang. Kim Jong-il spoke highly of the company’s workers and engineers for their contributions to the cultural lives of the people. Photo is of Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un talking and laughing during the visit to the Magnolia Audio Company.

2011 August, the special train Kim Jong-il rode arrived after 10am in the morning at the Bureya Railway Station in the Amur Region, and was received by the Russian president’s representative in the Far Eastern Federal District Viktor Ishayev. Photo is of several Russian women wearing traditional dress offering Kim Jong-il the symbolic bread and salt used to welcome honored guests.

2011 December 4th local time, North Korean media announced that Kim Jong-il the 378 unit of the air force.

Kim Jong-il was twice conferred the “Hero of the Republic” title in 1975 and 1982. 1992 April, he gained the Democratic People’s Republic Supreme Commander title. He has also thrice been conferred the Kim Il-sung medal, Kim Il-sung award, and other decorations, medals, and titles. 2011 December 15th local time, in Pyongyang of North Korea, the North Korea new agency published a group photo of Kim Jong-il and the staff of a music center.

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