Kim Jong Il Has Died

Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim (According to Soviet records)^[1][2][3][4] (16 February 1941 (Soviet records) or 16 February 1942 (North Korean records) – 17 December 2011), was the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). He was the Chairman of the National Defence Commission, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, the ruling party since 1948, and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, the fourth largest standing army in the world. In April 2009, North Korea's constitution was amended and now implicitly refers to him as the "Supreme Leader".^[5] He was also referred to as the "Dear Leader", "our Father", "the General" and "Generalissimo".^[6] His son Kim Jong-un was promoted to a senior position in the ruling Workers' Party and is heir apparent.^[7] In 2010 he was ranked 31st in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's Most Powerful People.^[8] The North Korean government announced his death on December 18, 2011.