Kim Jong-il

Political Figure

Kim Jong-il is the son of, and successor to, longtime North Korean leader Kim Il-sung. North Korea's government is secretive, and little is known about Kim Jong-il. While son and heir apparent, he had a reputation as a spoiled playboy who vainly wore platform shoes to appear taller. After his father's death in 1994, Kim Jong-il managed to retain power (although he did not assume his father's titles until 1997, when he was named secretary of the Communist party). By that time North Korea had become of the most isolated countries in the world, with an economy in a shambles and frequent famines. Kim's attempts to acquire nuclear weapons for North Korea are no secret, and in 2002 U.S. president George W. Bush declared North Korea to be part of an "axis of evil" along with Iran and Iraq.

Extra credit: Kim Jong-il is known as "Dear Leader," while his father was called "Great Leader"... Kim's official biography says he was born on 16 February 1942, in a log cabin on Korea's Mount Paekdu. However, many experts believe he was born in 1941 in the Soviet Union, where Kim Il-sung was living in exile... According to political specialist Dr. Jerold Post, as quoted on CNN, Kim stands 5'2" tall, drinks Hennessey cognac, and owns a collection of 20,000 movies which includes the complete James Bond series.

Related figure: Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.