Kim Jong Il – Intelligent, Well-informed, and Charming Leader
Peter Wilson, NZ DPRK Society
DEAR Leader Kim Jong Il led the DPRK through a tumultuous period of history which included the adverse economic effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the challenging years of the Arduous March, the failure of the United States to adhere to their commitments under the Agreed Framework and the insincere manoeuvrings of the United States through the Six Party talks.
In peace seeking moves Kim Jong Il reached out to South Korea presidents Kim Dae-Jung and Roh Moo Hyun, Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi and US secretary of state Madeleine Albright who described him as intelligent, well-informed, and charming.
Cognisant of George W Bush’s policy of pre-emptive nuclear first strike and in the spirit of Juche self-reliance, Kim Jong Il initiated development of an effective nuclear deterrent capability.
On the domestic front Kim Jong Il fostered a resilient economy that has withstood the onslaught of sanctions unprecedented in savagery and heightened the unity of the Korean people. In the meantime, he oversaw the establishment of the Kaesong Industrial Park which operated successfully to the benefit of both the DPRK and the ROK from 2004 until 2016 when it was unilaterally closed down for no logical reason by the ROK’s Park Geun Hye. 
