Born: 16 February 1941 · Died: 17 December 2011 · Age at death: 70
How old was Kim Jong-il when he died?
Kim Jong-il died aged 70. He was born on 16 February 1941 and died on 17 December 2011.
Son of Kim Il Sung who ruled North Korea from 1994 to 2011, overseeing famine and the first nuclear weapons tests
Did you know?A dedicated film enthusiast, he reportedly owned a collection of over 20,000 films and once ordered the kidnapping of a South Korean director.
Quick facts
Date of birth16 February 1941
Date of death17 December 2011
Age at death70
Cause of deathMyocardial infarction
NationalityNorth Korean
BirthplaceVyatskoye, Russia
Occupationpolitician, military personnel, film producer
Editor's Take:
Kim Jong Il ruled North Korea through famine and nuclear crisis. He was the son of the country's founder, Kim Il Sung, and was groomed for power for years. He took over when his father died in 1994. Soon after, a terrible famine killed hundreds of thousands of people. His "military first" policy put the army above everything. North Korea carried out its first nuclear test under his rule in 2006. He loved films and had a South Korean director kidnapped to make them.
Key Milestones
1980: Heir – named successor
1990s: Famine – Arduous March
1994: Leader after Kim Il Sung
2000: Summit with South Korea
Kim Jong Il (16 February 1941 or 1942 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician and dictator who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from the death of his father Kim Il Sung in 1994 until his own death in 2011.
Kim Jong-il's birthday is February 16. He was born on February 16, 1941 in Vyatskoye, Russia.
How old was Kim Jong-il when he died?
Kim Jong-il died on December 17, 2011, aged 70.
Who shares a birthday with Kim Jong-il?
Famous people who share Kim Jong-il's February 16 birthday include Octave Mirbeau, Ernst Haeckel, Philipp Melanchthon, Diego Godín and Elizabeth Olsen.
