Ruler of North Korea from the death of his father 金日成 in 1994 until his own death, under a "military first" policy. The 1990s famine and the first nuclear test came under his rule; his son 金正恩 succeeded him.
Kim Jong-il was North Korea's Supreme Leader, ruling for nearly thirty years.
Tips
culture
Chinese writes Korean names in their Chinese characters (hanja) and reads them in Mandarin, so Kim Jong-il is simply 金正日. He avoided flying and came to China in his own armored train.
