Kim jong 2 biography of christopher

The star symbolizes the Korean Worker's Party and the building of socialism. Originally designed inthe seal has undergone some revisions until this official version in It shows the red star of the revolution shining over Mt. Paektu, the Sup'ung Dam, power lines and a hydroelectric plant, and sheaves of wheat. The inscription is "Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The drop down menu, at top of the homepage, has links to additional information about the DPRK, Latest News, an E-library with the Kims' books and articles; a shopping site and more. Home page has link to live radio broadcast from Pyongyang. Web site may take a while to load. Has links to multiple topics, interactive features, and videos. North Korea Portal Wikipedia portal.

Contains an introduction, selected articles and images, a list of categories leading to A-Z sub-lists; recent news articles; and a section of links to North Korea topics covered in Wikipedia. Cornell East Asia Collections, Korean Resources web site Links to research guides, Facebook, new books list, databases which may be restricted to Cornell users.

Library locations and Contact information For information and reference help, please email Asia Reference at asiaref cornell. The authors trace the country's history from its founding in and consider its current political, economic, social, and cultural life and the continued stranglehold of the Kim family" Call Number: JQ A58 O5 Routledge Handbook of Contemporary North Korea by Adrian Buzo Editor [This book] presents a comprehensive picture of contemporary North Korea, placed in historical context and set against the overlapping fields of politics, economy, culture, society and foreign relations.

Spanning a period of significant transition for North Korea, this volume provides accurate analysis and applications of both historical and institutional perspectives. Palka; Francis A. According to defector Hwang Jang Yopthe North Korean government system became even more centralized and autocratic during the s and s under Kim than it had been under his father.

In one example explained by Hwang, although Kim Il Sung required his ministers to be loyal to him, he nonetheless and frequently sought their advice during decision-making. In contrast, Kim Jong Il demanded absolute obedience and agreement from his ministers and party officials with no advice or compromise, and he viewed any slight deviation from his thinking as a sign of disloyalty.

According to Hwang, Kim Jong Il personally directed even minor details of state affairs, such as the size of houses for party secretaries and the delivery of gifts to his subordinates. On 8 JulyKim Il Sung died at the age of 82 from a heart attack. Kim commanded the armed forces, Choe Yong Rim headed the government and handled domestic affairs and Kim Yong Nam handled foreign relations.

However, in practice, Kim, like his father before him, exercised absolute control over the government and the country. Although not required to stand for popular election to his key offices, he was unanimously elected to the Supreme People's Assembly every five years, representing a military constituency, due to his concurrent capacities as supreme commander of the KPA and chairman of the NDC.

Kim had a "reputation for being almost comically incompetent in matters of economic management". In addition, North Korea experienced severe floods in the mids, exacerbated by poor land management.

Kim jong 2 biography of christopher

Faced with a country in decay, Kim adopted a "Military-First" policy to strengthen the country and reinforce the regime. In the wake of the devastation of the s, the government began formally approving some activity of small-scale bartering and trade. As observed by Daniel Sneider, associate director for research at the Stanford University Asia—Pacific Research Centerthis flirtation with capitalism was "fairly limited, but — especially compared to the past — there are now remarkable markets that create the semblance of a free market system".

InKim declared that "money should be capable of measuring the worth of all commodities. During a rare visit inKim expressed admiration for China's rapid economic progress. An unsuccessful devaluation of the North Korean won ininitiated or approved by Kim personally, [ 61 ] caused brief economic chaos and uncovered the vulnerability of the country's societal fabric in the face of crisis.

Kim was known as a skilled and manipulative diplomat. Kim announced plans to import and develop new technologies to develop North Korea's fledgling software industry. As a result of the new policy, the Kaesong Industrial Park was constructed in just north of the demilitarized zone. InNorth Korea and the United States signed an Agreed Framework which was designed to freeze and eventually dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program in exchange for aid in producing two power-generating nuclear reactors and the assurance that it would not be invaded again.

Inafter a meeting with Madeleine Albrighthe agreed to a moratorium on missile construction. Kim's regime argued the secret production was necessary for security purposes — citing the presence of United States-owned nuclear weapons in South Korea and the new tensions with the United States under President George W. On his 60th birthday based on his official date of birthmass celebrations occurred throughout the country on the occasion of his Hwangap.

The prevailing point of view is that the people's adherence to Kim's cult of personality was solely out of respect for Kim Il Sung or out of fear of punishment for failure to pay homage. According to a Human Rights Watch report, the North Korean government under Kim was "among the world's most repressive governments", having up topolitical prisoners according to U.

Kim's government was accused of " crimes against humanity " for its alleged culpability in creating and prolonging the s famine. Kim Jong Il claimed that the barometer for distinguishing whether a person can be deemed a member of North Korean society and hence entitled to rights 'lies not on the grounds of his social class but on the grounds of his ideology'.

Shigemura moreover claimed a voiceprint analysis of Kim speaking in did not match a known earlier recording. It was also noted that Kim did not appear in kim jong 2 biography of christopher for the Olympic torch relay in Pyongyang on 28 April The question had reportedly "baffled foreign intelligence agencies for years". On 9 Septembervarious sources reported that after he did not show up that day for a military parade celebrating North Korea's 60th anniversary, United States intelligence agencies believed Kim might be "gravely ill" after having suffered a stroke.

He had last been seen in public a month earlier. A former CIA official said earlier reports of a health crisis were likely accurate. North Korean media remained silent on the issue. An Associated Press report said analysts believed Kim had been supporting moderates in the foreign ministry, while North Korea's powerful military was against so-called "Six-Party" negotiations with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States aimed towards ridding North Korea of nuclear weapons.

Some United States officials noted that soon after rumours about Kim's health were publicized a month before, North Korea had taken a "tougher line in nuclear negotiations". In late August North Korea's official news agency reported the government would "consider soon a step to restore the nuclear facilities in Nyongbyon to their original state as strongly requested by its relevant institutions".

Analysts said this meant "the military may have taken the upper hand and that Kim might no longer be wielding absolute authority". By 10 September, there were conflicting reports. Unidentified South Korean government officials said Kim had undergone surgery after suffering a minor stroke and had apparently "intended to attend 9 September event in the afternoon but decided not to because of the aftermath of the surgery".

Kim Yong Nam said, "While we wanted to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the country with general secretary Kim Jong Il, we celebrated on our own". Song Il Ho, North Korea's ambassador said, "We see such reports as not only worthless, but rather as a conspiracy plot". Seoul's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that "the South Korean embassy in Beijing had received an intelligence report that Kim collapsed on 22 August".

Japan's Kyodo News agency reported on 14 September, that "Kim collapsed on 14 August due to stroke or a cerebral hemorrhageand that Beijing dispatched five military doctors at the request of Pyongyang. Kim will require a long period of rest and rehabilitation before he fully recovers and has complete command of his limbs again, as with typical stroke victims".

Japan's Mainichi Shimbun claimed Kim had occasionally lost consciousness since April. He was apparently conscious "but he needs some time to recuperate from the recent stroke, with some parts of his hands and feet paralyzed". It cited Chinese sources which claimed that one cause for the stroke could have been stress brought about by the United States delay to remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

On 19 October, North Korea reportedly ordered its diplomats to stay near their embassies to await "an important message", according to Japan's Yomiuri Shimbunsetting off renewed speculation about the health of the ailing leader. By 29 Octoberreports stated Kim suffered a serious setback and had been taken back to the hospital. However, I don't think he is totally incapable of making decisions".

Aso further said a French neurosurgeon was aboard a plane for Beijing, en route to North Korea. Further, Kim Sung-ho, director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers in a closed parliamentary session in Seoul that "Kim appeared to be recovering quickly enough to start performing his daily duties". Japan's Fuji Television network reported that Kim's eldest son, Kim Jong-namtraveled to Paris to hire a neurosurgeon for his father, and showed footage where the surgeon boarded flight CA bound for Pyongyang from Beijing on 24 October.

Roux said Kim suffered few lasting effects. Shown with his usual bouffant hairstyle, with his trademark sunglasses and a white winter parka, Kim stood in front of trees with autumn foliage and a red-and-white banner. In NovemberJapan's TBS TV network reported that Kim had suffered a second stroke in October, which "affected the movement of his left arm and leg and also his kim jong 2 biography of christopher to speak".

In response to the rumors regarding Kim's health and supposed loss of power, in AprilNorth Korea released a video showing Kim visiting factories and other places around the country between November and December According to The Daily TelegraphKim was a chain-smoker. Kim's three sons and his brother-in-law, along with O Kuk Ryolan army general, had been noted as possible successors, but the North Korean government had for a time been wholly silent on this matter.

Kim Yong Hyun, a political expert at the Institute for North Korean Studies at Seoul's Dongguk Universitysaid in "Even the North Korean establishment would not advocate a continuation of the family dynasty at this point". This was the first time Kim was seen in public since August He was unanimously re-elected and given a standing ovation.

Kim reportedly visited the People's Republic of China in May He entered the country via his personal train on 3 May and stayed in a hotel in Dalian. Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell told South Korean officials that Kim had only three years to live, according to medical information that had been compiled.

There were speculations that the visits of Kim abroad in and were a sign of his improving health and a possible slowdown in succession might follow. It was reported that Kim had died of a suspected heart attack on 17 December at am while travelling by kim jong 2 biography of christopher to an area outside Pyongyang. Kim's funeral took place on 28 December in Pyongyang, with a mourning period lasting until the following day.

South Korea's military was immediately put on alert after the announcement and its National Security Council convened for an emergency meeting, out of concern that political jockeying in North Korea could destabilise the region. Asian stock markets fell soon after the announcement, due to similar concerns. On 12 JanuaryNorth Korea called Kim the "eternal leader" and announced that his body would be preserved and displayed at Pyongyang's Kumsusan Memorial Palace.

Officials also announced plans to install statues, portraits, and immortality towers across the country. In Februaryon what would have been his 71st birthday, Kim was posthumously made Dae Wonsu usually translated as Generalissimoliterally Grand Marshalthe nation's top military rank. There is no official information available about Kim Jong Il's marital history, but he is believed to have been officially married twice and to have had three mistresses.

She was handpicked by his father and married to him in They had a daughter called Kim Hye Kyung, [ ] who was born in Soon afterwards, they divorced in She was already married to another man and with a child when they met. This relationship, which started inwas not officially recognized. Kim kept both the relationship and the child a secret even from his father until he ascended to power in Kim's official wife, Kim Young Sookwas the daughter of a high-ranking military official.

His father Kim Il Sung handpicked her to marry his son. Kim had a daughter from this marriage, Kim Sol Song born She had taken over the role of First Lady until her death — reportedly of cancer — in After Ko's death, Kim lived with Kim Okhis third mistress, who had served as his personal secretary since the s. She "virtually act[ed] as North Korea's first lady" and frequently accompanied Kim on his visits to military bases and in meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries.

She traveled with Kim on a secretive trip to China in Januarywhere she was received by Chinese officials as Kim's wife. As he explains, their roles were limited to that of romance and domesticity. He had a younger sister, Kim Kyong Hui. She was married to Jang Sung Taekwho was executed in December in Pyongyangafter being charged with treason and corruption.

Like his father, Kim had a fear of flying [ ] and always travelled by private armored train for state visits to Russia and China. Kim was said to be a huge film fan, owning a collection of more than 20, video tapes and DVDs. The last of these movies was the Godzilla -inspired epic Pulgasariwhich Kim considered a masterpiece. Although Kim enjoyed many foreign forms of entertainment, according to former bodyguard Lee Young Kukhe refused to consume any food or drink not produced in North Korea, with the exception of wine from France.

Kim reportedly enjoyed basketball. United States Special Envoy for the Korean Peace Talks, Charles Kartman, who was involved in the Madeleine Albright summit with Kim, characterised Kim as a reasonable man in negotiations, to the point, but with a sense of humor and personally attentive to the people he was hosting. The field of psychology has long been fascinated with the personality assessment of dictators, a notion that resulted in an extensive personality evaluation of Kim.

The report, compiled by Frederick L. Coolidge and Daniel L. Segal with the assistance of a South Korean psychiatrist considered an expert on Kim's behaviorconcluded that the "big six" group of personality disorders shared by dictators Adolf HitlerJoseph Stalin and Saddam Hussein sadisticparanoidantisocialnarcissisticschizoid and schizotypal were also shared by Kim — coinciding primarily with the profile of Saddam Hussein.

The evaluation found that Kim appeared to pride himself on North Korea's independence, despite the extreme hardships it appears to place on the North Korean people — an attribute appearing to emanate from his antisocial personality pattern. Defectors claimed that Kim had 17 different palaces and residences all over North Korea, including a private resort near Baekdu Mountaina seaside lodge in the city of Wonsanand Ryongsong Residencea palace complex northeast of Pyongyang surrounded with multiple fence lines, bunkers and anti-aircraft batteries.

The Sunday Telegraph reported that most of the money was in banks in Luxembourg. Kim received numerous titles during his rule. According to North Korean sources, Kim published some works during a period of his career from June to June At leastcopies of [Kim Jong Il's works] were translated into nearly 70 languages and came off the press in about 80 countries in the new century.

There were more than activities for studying and distributing the works in at least countries and regions in The following year witnessed a total of more than events of diverse forms in at least countries and regions. And saw at least 3, functions held in over countries and regions for the same purpose. In his teens and university years, Kim had written poems.

Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikinews Wikiquote Wikidata item. This is the latest accepted revisionreviewed on 28 January Leader of North Korea from to For the South Korean long jumper, see Kim Jong-il long jumper. In this Korean namethe family name is Kim.

Eternal General Secretary. Hong Il-chon. Kim Young-sook. Central institution membership. Other offices held. Early life [ edit ]. Birth [ edit ]. Education [ edit ]. Ascension to power [ edit ]. Initial career [ edit ]. Heir apparent [ edit ]. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section.

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. July Learn how and when to remove this message. Leader of North Korea [ edit ]. Economic policies [ edit ]. Foreign relations [ edit ]. Cult of personality [ edit ]. Main article: North Korean cult of personality. Human rights record [ edit ]. See also: Human rights in North Korea. Health and rumours of waning power [ edit ].

Successor [ edit ]. Our Supreme Leader was born on 15 April But what did he do the next day? But what did the Supreme Leader do himself? In all honesty, what else could a baby do at that age but piss and shit? And how am I going to describe the two years after that? As Jang Jin-sung elaborates :. For children, perhaps, the equation is less complex.

As the DPRK is now learning, there are perils in extolling the virtues of a leadership beyond the reasonable. A storm of propaganda is an effective strategy whilst it prevails, but can rapidly dissolve as circumstances change. Colonel Gaddafi maintained a similarly bogus cult of personality in Libya, demanding the avowal of extraordinary claims of his revolutionary intellect and virtue.

Such was the climate of fear his family engineered that it was difficult to find residents of Tripoli in the months before his demise willing to speak against the dominant state narratives. It is easier, perhaps, to forgive a mortal politician who has failed his people, than to keep the faith when god betrays his children. The fact the DPRK still exists at all is, in no small part, testimony to the genius of the hagiographies of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, and the men and women who wrote them.

They are the foundation upon which the edifice of North Korean cultural orthodoxy has been raised. If so, the former things will pass away. And then, as it was in the beginning with Tangun and with Kim Il-sung, Korean time will begin again… with millions of new stories waiting to be told. It is the most important document to have come out of Northeast Asia in the last years, and I would have thought impossible to confuse with the admittedly hagiographic potboilers that Pyongyang does churn out.

This is a pity, because the whole eight-volume series is a gold mine of history An index is available. After all, the Collected Works would fill a warehouse. Kim introduces dozens of figures, sometimes with photographs, who would otherwise be lost to history. He expresses admiration for the religious figures he encounters, at one point P.

A Japanese lumber mill owner is brought to him a prisoner. It was twice desecrated by the Japanese in the s. North Korean archaeologists who excavated the site in the early s claimed to have discovered two skeletons, one male and one female. Thank you for your comments. When last we heard from you, inyou explained to NKNews. It only seems fair, with the amount of foreign media flooding into North Korea, that it should flood the other way as well.

I agree with you, they are extremely fascinating documents, even if we disagree on the nature of their creation. Presumably, you think Jang Jin-sung is lying when he describes the process of literary production in Pyongyang. Perhaps you can explain. What does that entail? That Kim Il Sung edited what others wrote for him, or that he just signed off and nodded his approval?

Jang Jin-sung, on the other hand, worked in the very heart of the Pyongyang literary establishment, finding favour with Kim Jong Il himself. For now, at least, I will favour the testimony of the writer born in the DPRK, steeped in its political, cultural and literary traditions, over the testimony of a Beijing-based British translation polisher and voice-over artist, however talented.

As young saints-in-waiting, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il exude revolutionary precocity, rebuking elders with words of insight and deeds of virtue, demonstrating a prodigious aptitude for anti-imperialism, socialism and Juche. As a defector, named Jae-young, relates :. This long epic was about the birth, childhood, and death of… Kim Il-sung.

It was eight volumes long and I read every page with fascination, despite the highly ideological subject matter…. These kind of books were very popular and hard to borrow without a long wait at the library. Despite them being distinctly political works, I guess that ultimately, they were good reading. It is the genius of these hagiographies—rich in incident, heroic struggle, and kaleidoscopic detail—that they may be read, not only as prescriptive ideological manuals, but adventure stories for the young.

Mindful of the time the state dedicates to the creation and dissemination of these narratives, and the fascinated attention Jae-young—and millions more children—have paid to such narratives, I will explore in exegetical detail the childhood hagiographies of the leaders. Of course, this is not a failure of North Korean historiography, but the triumph of mythology.

The Dear Leader is thus born heir to the sacred line of Baekdu, child not only of mortal father Kim Il-sung and mother Kim Jong-suk, but the Korean people as a whole. From Baekdu came the ancient birth of the Korean nation, the sacred mountain a symbol conferring lines of continuity and legitimacy through successive dynastic reigns, reaching its apotheosis and modern re-birth in the House of Kim.

The mountain fascinates people with its majestic appearance—the enormous lake at its summit and its chain of high peaks—and its mysterious natural phenomena, and these are symbolic of the traits and mettle of Kim Jong-il, who possesses a far-reaching ambition, outstanding wisdom, firm courage, strong willpower, great magnanimity and perfect leadership ability.

From his secret base beneath Mount Baekdu, Kim Il-sung both literally and figuratively brought new life to the Korean nation, as a revolutionary in the anti-Japanese guerilla struggle, and father to Kim Jong-il. In the North Korean imagination, these are not merely parallel births. They are the same birth.