Leadership Kim Jong-il is North Korea's supreme ruler and so far, the only communist leader to ever have inherited power from his father. The few personal details that are known document his affection for the finer things in life, including lobsters and Hennessy VSOP cognac, and a reputed 20,000 tape film library. Diplomats and dissidents portray Mr Kim as a vain, paranoid hypochondriac who favours platform shoes and a bouffant hairstyle to increase his 5'3" stature. His official biography states that he was born in a log cabin at his father's guerrilla base on Mount Paektu - an event heralded by the appearance of a double rainbow and a new star in the sky. Kim Jong-il was actually born in Siberia, Russia during his father's period of exile from Korea in 1941. Since coming to power he has further developed and refined elements of his father's Juche doctrine of self-sufficiency. Details of the exact power structure within North Korea are obscure. Western political observers consider it to be an archetypal totalitarian state reminiscent of Stalin's Russia, with a state ideology which combines Juche with more conventional strands of marxist-communism. In line with many other communist leaders, Kim Il-sung fashioned a strong personality cult to consolidate his power and his son has followed suit, styling himself as the "Dear Leader". Radio and news programmes regularly document his achievements; he is said to have written some six operas, and according to recent official reports notched up five holes-in-one on his very first round of golf. Although often painted as a reclusive, unstable character in the Western media, former US Secretary Of State Madeleine Albright described Kim Jong-il as "very much on top of his brief" after a summit meeting in 2000.





Kim Jong-il holds all the power in North Korea



Kim Jong-il was born in Siberia while his parents were in exile



Mr Kim is a noted author in North Korea