(CNN) -- North Korea's longtime leader Kim Jong Il, the embodiment of the reclusive state where his cult of personality is deeply entrenched, has died. He was believed to be 69. Regarded as one of the world's most-repressive leaders, Kim Jong Il always cut a slightly bizarre figure. His diminutive stature and characteristically bouffant hair have been parodied by some in the West. "He's a mysterious person -- I think by design," said Han S. Park, director of the Center for the Study of Global Issues at the University of Georgia and a frequent visitor to North Korea. "Mystery is a source of leverage and power. It's maintaining uncertainty."
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Kim Jong Il took over when his father died of a heart attack in 1994
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He will be remembered as one of the world's most repressive leaders
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Kim was well regarded within North Korea
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He played a poor hand of cards skillfully, analysts say
The timing could not have been worse for replacing the only leader @placeholder had known.