各国名人英文介绍-Kim Jong-il（在线收听）

Kim Jong-il was born in 1941 in the Soviet Union. North Korea’s official biographies, however, state his year of birth as 1942 and his birthplace as Korea. He has been the leader of North Korea for over a decade. Since Kim is not actually the president, he does not have to hold elections to keep power, and has never done so.

North Koreans learn that a double rainbow over the mountains and a new star in the heavens announced Kim Jong-il’s birth. They are also taught that he is the world’s greatest and kindest ruler. They call him "Dear Leader". It is extremely dangerous for any North Korean to say anything negative about him. He is leader of the world’s fourth largest army.

He spent the first three years of his life in the Soviet Union and was known as Yuri. Official records say he was educated in Pyongyang. Foreign reports claim he went to school in China to escape the Korean War. He was involved in political activities throughout his schooling. At university he studied Marxism, philosophy and military science.

Kim has a daughter and three sons, but there is no official information about his marital history. His hobbies include collecting cars and watching movies. He has many luxury Mercedes and over 20,000 videos. His favorite films include the James Bond series. He also loves golf. North Korea’s government reports that Kim gets up to four holes-in-one every time he plays.