Kim Jong Il was born February 16th, 1941 but some accounts place his birth a year later. Official North Korean documents have his
birthday as February 16, 1942 in a secret camp along the Chinese border.
Scholars disagree with the official biography that he completed his education between 1950 and 1960 in Pyongyang. Instead, they say that
he did school in the People’s Republic of China, where it was safer to live. Throughout school, Kim was involved in politics. He was
active in the Children’s Union and the Democratic Youth League. He took part in the study of Marxist political theory. He was
interested in many subjects like agriculture, music and mechanics. In his early schooling, he was a natural leader with his ability to
lead classmates and support them where it is needed.
After his graduation from university, Kim Jong Il started to rise through the ranks of the Korean Workers’ Party. In North Korea, people
from the inside tried to change the party’s message. Kim Jong Il was appointed to the Party Central Committee to make sure that the
party did not collapse.
Kim Jong Il’s biggest weakness was he did not know the ins and outs of military. The army is the keeper of power in North Korea.
By 1991, he was named the commander of the Korean People’s Army, giving him what he needed to maintain complete control.