Kim Jong Il: Nearly 20 Years of Rule
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North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Il waves his hand from a car after meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at Sosnovy Bor Military Garrison on August 24, 2011. Kim Jong-Il met with Dmitry Medvedev in Siberia for secrecy-shrouded summit talks on energy and food aid.
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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks with Kim Jong-Il during a meeting at Sosnovy Bor Military Garrison on August 24, 2011.
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Kim Jong-Il looks on during a meeting with Dmitry Medvedev at Sosnovy Bor Military Garrison on August 24, 2011.
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Kim Jong Il salutes soldiers while watching a massive military parade marking the 65th anniversary of the communist nation's ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea on Oct. 10, 2010.
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South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun and North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Il talk after signing a peace declaration during the two Korea Summit on October 4, 2007 in Pyongyang, North Korea. The two leaders pledged to bring peace by seeking talks with China and the U.S. to formally end the Korean War.
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South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun and his wife Kwon Yang-Suk wave to well wishers while North Korean leader Kim Jong-il looks on during a welcoming ceremony at the April 25 Hall of Culture in the capital Pyongyang, North Korea, on October, 2, 2007.
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This undated handout picture, released from the Korean Central News Agency on June, 9, 2007, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Il inspecting the Sinam Cooperative Farm in Ryongchon County in North Phyongan Province.
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This undated picture, released by the Korean Central News Agency, February, 8, 2007, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Il inspecting the Chongjin University of Mining and Metallurgy in North Hamgyong province.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il returns a salute to Korean People's Army soldiers marching at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang to mark the 60th anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea, on October, 10, 2005. North Korea pledged to strengthen its military as it celebrated the 60th birthday of its ruling Workers Party, state media reported, amid speculation that leader Kim Jong-Il could soon anoint a successor.
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Accompanied by military officials, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il walks during an inspection tour of the Academy of Logistic Officers of North Korea at an undisclosed location in North Korea, on February, 10, 2003.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il smiles while visiting a shopping center in Vladivostok, August, 23, 2002.
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Kim Jong Il toasts U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at a dinner in Pyongyang on October, 24, 2000. Albright's visit is part of a coordinated strategy involving Washington and its allies, South Korea and Japan, to end the North's isolation and remove the threat of war in one of the world's most volatile regions.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin is welcomed by Kim Jong Il upon Putin's arrival in Pyongyang's airport on July, 19, 2000. Russian President Putin said after talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong II during a two-day visit in Pyongyang that North Korea has vowed to halt its missile development program in exchange for access to space rocket technology.
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Kim Jong-Il and South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung join hands before signing a written agreement during a historic summit between the two countries in the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang on June, 14, 2000.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il waves at a military parade to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea on October, 10, 1995.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il meets with Korean People's Army personnel in September, 1988.
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Kim Jong Il talks with farmers when he was in the Central Committee on May, 21, 1971.
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Kim Jong Il as a student of Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, North Korea.