Kim Jong-il, dictator of North Korea, ascended to power following the death of his father, Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea. With Kim Jong il’s death, his son, Kim-Jong-un, is poised to perpetuate the Kim family rule.

The Eternal President
Kim Il-sung ruled Korea from 1948 to 1994. Kim Il-sung was chosen by the Soviets to lead Korea. By the 1960s, however, Kim Il-sung developed a set of principles that made Korea the master of its own destiny and eventually closed off the country from outsiders. The Juche idea proposed that self-reliance was the key to political, economic and military strength.

At the same time, Il-sung began a campaign to establish himself as the “Great Leader.” Continual and pervasive propaganda along with swift, cruel punishment for opposition, the cult of personality indoctrinates people and establishes a leader as an infallible savior.

In 1980, he declared his son, Kim Jong il, his successor and began delegating many of his duties to him. After his death in 1994, the amended North Korean constitution declared him the “eternal President of the Republic” in honor of his esteemed leadership.

The Dear Leader
When the Kim Il-sung died on July 8, 1994, his son, Kim Jong-il had already been responsible for many governmental duties. Having increased centralization and autocratic rule, he firmly established his absolute control as dictator of North Korea. The propaganda perpetuating his god-like status included reports that he was able to control the weather, learned to walk at three weeks of age and talk at eight weeks of age. The “Dear Leader’s” fatal heart attack on December 17, 2011, is reported to have been caused by the unrelenting burden of caring for his people and working toward a unified Korea.

The Great Successor
Kim Jong-il’s third son, Kim-Jong-un was named supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on December 29, 2011. Kim-Jong-un had emerged as his father’s successor as early as 2004. Plans were in place to prepare the young man to eventually take over for his father. Those plans were accelerated after Kim Jong il’s death on December 17. Top level officials of the DPRK government have rallied around the young leader in a show of unified resolve to continue the revolutionary cause.