Kim Jong-il refused to be designated Eternal General Secretary.
Kim Jong-il -LRB- , -LSB- kim.dzʌŋ.il -RSB- or -LSB- kim -RSB- -LSB- tsʌŋ.il -RSB- 16 February 1941 / 1942 -- 17 December 2011 -RRB- was the supreme leader of the Democratic People 's Republic of Korea -LRB- DPRK -RRB- , commonly referred to as North Korea , from 1994 to 2011 .. supreme leader. List of leaders of North Korea. By the early 1980s Kim had become the heir apparent for the leadership of the country and assumed important posts in the party and army organs .. heir apparent. heir apparent. He succeeded his father and founder of the DPRK , Kim Il-sung , following the elder Kim 's death in 1994 .. Kim Il-sung. Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-il was the General Secretary of the Workers ' Party of Korea -LRB- WPK -RRB- , Politburo Standing Committee member of WPK , Chairman of the National Defence Commission -LRB- NDC -RRB- of North Korea , and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People 's Army -LRB- KPA -RRB- , the fourth-largest standing army in the world .. General Secretary. General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea. Politburo Standing Committee. Politburo Standing Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. National Defence Commission. National Defence Commission. Supreme Commander. Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army. Politburo Standing Committee member. Politburo Standing Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. Chairman. Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea. fourth-largest standing army. List of countries by number of troops. Kim 's leadership is thought to have been even more authoritarian than his father 's .. During Kim 's regime , the country suffered from famine , partially due to economic mismanagement , and had a poor human rights record .. Kim involved his country in state terrorism and strengthened the role of the military by his Songun , or `` military-first '' , politics .. state terrorism. state terrorism. Songun. Songun. Kim 's rule also saw tentative economic reforms , including the opening of the Kaesong Industrial Park in 2003 .. Kaesong Industrial Park. Kaesong Industrial Park. In April 2009 , North Korea 's constitution was amended to officially refer to him -LRB- and his later successors -RRB- as the `` supreme leader of the DPRK '' .. supreme leader. List of leaders of North Korea. The most common colloquial title given to him during his reign was `` The Dear Leader '' to distinguish him from his father Kim Il-sung , `` The Great Leader '' .. Kim Il-sung. Kim Il-sung. title given to him. List of Kim Jong-il's titles. Following Kim 's failure to appear at important public events in 2008 , foreign observers assumed that Kim had either fallen seriously ill or died .. On 19 December 2011 , the North Korean government announced that he had died two days earlier , whereupon his third son , Kim Jong-un , was promoted to a senior position in the ruling WPK and succeeded him .. Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-un. had died. Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il. After his death , he was designated as the `` Eternal General Secretary '' of the WPK and the `` Eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission '' , in keeping with the tradition of establishing eternal posts for the dead members of the Kim dynasty .. General Secretary. General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea. Eternal General Secretary. First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea. National Defence Commission. National Defence Commission. Chairman. Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea. Kim dynasty. Kim dynasty ( North Korea )