Kim Jong-Il is often said to be stark raving bonkers, but this is a misconception. He is eccentric, certainly, and his government is extremely secretive and brutal to dissidents, but experts say Kim is bright, clear-headed, politically astute, and as sane as any leader with unchecked power. He drives trendy Mazdas, and prefers Hennessey cognac. He wears elevator shoes to hide his short stature (without the shoes, he is believed to stand about 5' 2"). His father was Kim Il Sung, the cruel Communist dictator who ruled North Korea for decades.
As a young man, Kim held wild parties, and was widely derided as the Korean Hugh Hefner. Many Koreans assumed that he would never be disciplined enough to lead his nation. But Kim studied political science at the university named for his father, rising rapidly through Communist Party ranks, and none dare call it nepotism. He was designated his father's official successor in 1974, and took power upon the elder Kim's death in 1994.
Kim has announced that North Korea has nuclear weapons, and most observers believe this to be true. He had about 80 high-ranking officials, including several relatives and his own brother-in-law, rounded up and purged in 2004. He still favors banquets that start at midnight and end at dawn. At one such event, according to his chef's memoirs, Kim ordered the dancing women to strip. They wisely did not object.
He is a big movie buff, and owns videos of at least 20,000 films. His favorites reportedly include the Rambo, Friday the 13th, and James Bond movies. Kim is a moviemaker himself, the credited producer of Pulgasari, a 1985 Godzillaesque story based on a 14th-Century Korean legend about a monster who helps peasants overthrow their dictatorial king. Kim abducted South Korean director Shin Sang-Ok and actress Choe Un-Hee, and forced them to make the movie. They escaped several years later, when Kim allowed them to attend a film festival in Vienna.
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