Kim Jong Il, the Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, and Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army.

Kim Jong Il was born in the secret camp on Mt.Paektu (Samjiyon County, Ryanggang Province) on 16 February 1942. He is the son of Kim Il Sung the founder of the DPRK, and Kim Jong Suk the heroine of the anti-Japanese struggle.

Kim Jong Il finished the course of higher middle school in August 1960, and was later admitted to the course of political economy, faculty of economics, at Kim Il Sung University where he graduated in 1964.

Kim Jong Il joined the Workers’ Party of Korea on July 22, 1961, he actively assisted Kim Il Sung in his tours of field guidance throughout the country during that period.

After his university days he began work at the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea in June 19, 1964 and successively held the posts of section chief, deputy department director and department director of the Central Committee until September 1973.

In October 1972 he was elected member of the Party Central Committee at the Fifth Plenary Meeting of the Fifth Central Committee.

Kim Jong Il participated energetically in the external activities, in a period when many countries around the world won their national independence and others were still struggling for it, he gave great importance to strengthening friendship and solidarity with the newly-emergent countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America especially those who were in direct confrontation with the anti-imperialist forces frightened by the growth of progressive forces. Kim Jong Il is credited for giving strong support to anti-US imperialist struggle in Vietnam and Latin America, and to the struggle of Arab countries against Israel’s moves of aggression and expansionism.

Kim Jong Il was elected Member of the Political Committee of the Party Central Committee at the Eighth Plenary Meeting of the fifth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea in February 13, 1974.

 He proclaimed the modelling of the whole of society after the Juche idea as the ultimate program of the Party at the national short course of Party propaganda workers on February 19, 1974; and guided the effort to develop in depth the three revolutions—ideological, technical, and cultural.   

 He was awarded the title of Hero of the DPRK on February 15, 1975 for his exploits in Party work and state’s activities.

 Kim Jong Il was elected Member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and Secretary and Member of the Military Commission of the Party Central Committee at the Sixth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in October 1980.

 He published his famous work on the Juche Idea on March 31, 1982.

 From February 1982 he was elected a Deputy to the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Supreme People's Assemblies.

 He was elected First Vice-Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK at the first session of the Ninth Supreme People's Assembly in May 1990.

 At the 19^th Plenary Meeting of the Sixth Party Central Committee on December 24, 1991, Kim Jong Il was elected the Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army, he received the title of DPRK Marshal on April 20, the following year.

 At the Fifth Session of the Ninth Supreme People's Assembly Kim Jong Il was elected Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK on April 9, 1993. 

 Kim Jong Il led the diplomatic campaign in the three-stages DPRK-US talks held from June 1993 to October 1994 which concluded with the signature of the Agreed Framework; he led the implementation of the Agreed Framework, so the agreement on the delivery of light-water reactors were signed between the Government of the DPRK and the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization in December 1995.

 Kim Jong Il was elected Secretary General of the Workers’ Party of Korea on October 8, 1997.

 Kim Jong Il made great diplomatic achievements; he signed the North-South Joint declaration on the reunification of the Korean peninsula with South Korean President Kim Dae Jung on June 15, 2000, as well as the The DPRK-Japan Pyongyang Declaration on the normalization of bilateral relations, with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on September 17, 2002.