Kim Jong Il: Great Leader or Destructive Dictator

1257 Words3 Pages

In North Korea life was incredibly different, and is still different, from life in America. The residents of North Korea live in extreme poverty, while Kim Jong Il and any member of Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea live as if they were kings; their meals filled with delicacies the citizens of North Korea can only dream of. Although it’s found strange to most in "normal" society, Kim Jong Il is revered as a God, because it is he who gave them all the “luxuries” in North Korea. When in actuality, he is the sole culprit of North Korea’s extreme poverty.
Now, Kim Jong Il wasn’t always the ruthless dictator that so many around the world know of, he was a harmless child like all of us had once been. He was born on February 16th, 1941 however some official records state he was born in 1942. Mystery shrouds Kim Jong Il’s true birth place; in North Korean records, he was stated to have been born at the Paektusan Secret Camp in the Sobaeksu Valley, Samjiyon County, Ryanggang Province. Official North Korean biographers write that at Mt. Paektusan, his “official” birthplace, "Flashes of light and thunder, the iceberg in the pond of Mount Paektu emitted a mysterious sound as it broke, and a bright double rainbow rose up," signaling a new star in the heavens. More likely however, are the other records that state his birthplace to be Vyatskoye in the former Soviet Union where his family had been exiled. It is explainable why North Korean records would give their Grand Leader such an immaculate birth, Mt. Paektu a symbol of Korea, is known as a sacred mountain because in Korean mythology, it is where the ‘Son of the Lord of Heaven’ descended and the first kingdom of Korea could begin. There is a reason for the extreme absurdity that i...

... middle of paper ...

... nature. Talk of which of Kim Jong Il's sons would succeed him spread rapidly, none of the three seemed all to capable nor in very high favor with their father. On Decemeber 17th, 2011, the Dear Leader of North Korea passed away due to cardiac arrest, leaving the North Korean population weeping and mourning heavily for their now deceased leader.

Kim Jong Il's legacy is a heavy one to bare, not much is truly known about him in all honesty. His life began in secrecy and the rest of his life continued from there never to seemingly ever get better. An extreme dictator who commanded the obedience and love of all who lived in his kingdom may be seen as a vicious tyrant to all of those away from him, but in the eyes of the North Koreans, he will always be their Dear Leader and his sons and future grandsons will carry on the brutal regime that encompasses North Korea.

Open Document