The life of Kim Jong-il in pictures
A photograph of former North Korean founder Kim Il-Sung hugging his son Kim Jong-il, which was taken in April 1946, is displayed at the Unification Hall at the West Seoul Life Science High School in Seoul.HANDOUT
A picture of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung (C), his first wife Kim Jong-suk (R) and his son Kim Jong-il, is displayed at the Unification Hall at the West Seoul Life Science High School.HO
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, foreground fourth from left, inspects a cenotaph of the signing site of the 1953 truce treaty during his visit to the border village of Panmunjom, between the two Koreas, Nov. 24, 1996.The Associated Press
Kim Jong-il strolls with his father North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, right, in Pyongyang in this April 1982 file photo.
Kim Il-sung (L), founder of North Korea, chats with his son Kim Jong-il at a mass rally to celebrate the foundation of the communist country in Pyongyang in this September 1983 photograph.HANDOUT
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il acknowledges applause from the audience while attending a light-comedy show at a Pyongyang art theatre in this February 26, 1993 file photo.STRINGER
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, right, receives a scarf from a youngster as he and military officials visit a school for orphans in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.The Associated Press
Kim Jong-Il was characterized as an evil, maniacal dictator bent on world domination in the movie "Team America: World Police" by the creators of South Park.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il (R) and South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun pose after they exchanged the joint statement in Pyongyang October 4, 2007. The leaders of North and South Korea pledged to bring peace to the Cold War's last frontier by seeking talks with China and the United States to formally end the 1950-1953 Korean War.POOL
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is seen in an October 2010 file photo.
In this undated photo released on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 by Korean Central News Agency and distributed by Korea News Service in Tokyo on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, center, inspects a factory of the Ryongsong Machine Complex in Ryongsong, North Korea.The Associated Press
This photo taken on August 4, 2009 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-il posing with former US President Bill Clinton and his delegation members in Pyongyang.KNS
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il attends a rally in Hamhung Square in this photo released on Sunday by North Korean state media.KCNA
A May, 2010, handout photograph of reclusive North Korean dicator Kim Jong-Il.KNS
A Chinese visitor poses for a picture next to a portrait of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il at an auditorium in Rason city, northeast of Pyongyang, August 29, 2011.CARLOS BARRIA
In this undated photo released by Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service in Tokyo Saturday, May 7, 2011, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, center, visits a clothing factory in Pyongyang, North Korea.AP/Korean Central News Agency via Korea News Service
A combination photo shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il posing on August 4, 2009 (left) and again on May 17, 2011. The photo on the right published this week by state media shows the North Korean leader looking comparatively healthy compared to two years ago when he appeared aged and frail.KCNA