Kim Jong Il, N. Korean dictator, dead at 69

Kim Jong Il, the reviled ruler of North Korea who let his people starve while he built nuclear bombs, has died.

The demented dictator who had an insatiable thirst for luxury and an obsessive love of movies, nearly triggered numerous wars with his contempt for the civilized world and ambition for weapons of mass destruction.

The “Dear Leader” of the Hermit Kingdom died of a heart attack at the age of 69 aboard a train Saturday during a “high-intensity field inspection,” a teary-eyed newswoman claimed on state television.



Kim, who took over absolute control of the communist country in 1994 after his dad died, had been suffering from a host of health problems in recent years.

He is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008 and was a notorious boozer and chain smoker.

During his reign, Kim became a punch line of sorts. Known for his wacky, bouffant hairdo, jumpsuit and his love of choreography he was famously mocked in the 2004 movie, “Team America: World Police.”

But as kooky as Kim was, he posed a real danger. He controlled the world’s fifth-largest military force, about a million strong, and had his finger on the nuclear button.

The United States nearly went to war with the ruthless despot in 1994 after Kim kicked out UN monitors at his country’s main nuclear facility.

After months of tense negotiations, a deal was struck when the Clinton administration convinced Kim to freeze his nuclear program and readmit the UN inspectors in exchange for help with the country’s energy needs.

Relations improved enough by 2000 that then-Secretary of State Madeline Albright visited the capital Pyongyang, and met Kim.

But just two years later, he was back to his old tricks.

In 2002, the Bush administration said Kim had violated the 1994 pact and was again pursuing nukes. North Korea was named part of the “Axis of Evil.”

Negotiations started again with the isolated country, but in 2006, North Korea tested its nuclear weapon.

Even as other countries tried to decide what do about North Korea, Kim continued to pose a threat to the rest of the world

Last year, he launched an attack on South Korea, killing two soldiers and two civilians.

Even before taking over, Kim was a ruthless killer who masterminded the 1983 bombing in Myanmar that killed 17 South Korean officials.

He also ordered the bombing of a Korean Air Flight in 1987, killing all 115 on board.

Kim took power from his father, Kim Il Sung, who founded the country following a civil war in the 1950s.

Once in charge, the younger Kim became almost as well known for his crazy antics and fetishes as he did for his foreign policy and provocations.

He spent $700,000 a year on top-shelf cognac — nearly 10,000 times the annual earnings of the typical North Korean.

He once chugged 14 glasses of wine at a summit with his South Korean counterpart.

Kim also owned up to 20,000 videos — his favorites were “Rambo” and Daffy Duck.

He once said that if he hadn’t gone into the dictator business, he’d have been a movie director.

Kim had been rumored to have at least 13 illegitimate children and had a taste for girls as young as 13. His personal harem has been dubbed the Pleasure Brigade.

He’s been married numerous times.

His youngest legitimate son, Kim Jong Un, who is believed to be in his 20s, was announced as his successor in September 2010.

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