THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 'DEAR LEADER' KIM JONG IL
April 15, 1912: North Korean founder Kim Il Sung born in Pyongyang.
Feb. 16, 1942: Kim Jong Il born in guerrilla fighters' camp on Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the Korean peninsula, according to official North Korean history. Others say he was born in Siberian village, and was born in 1941.
Sept. 9, 1948: Kim Il Sung establishes Democratic People's Republic of Korea in northern half of the Korean peninsula.
June 25, 1950: North Korea invades South Korea.
July 27, 1953: Korean War ends in a truce, not a peace treaty.
September 1973: Assumes Workers Party's No. 2 post - secretary for party's organisation, guidance and propaganda affairs.
February 1974: Kim Jong Il elected to Political Bureau of the Workers Party's Central Committee and formally becomes North Korea's future leader.
Oct. 10, 1980: His status as country's future leader is made public at Workers' Party congress, where he takes up other top positions.
Jan. 8, 1983: Kim Jong Il's third and youngest son Jong Un believed to have been born.
Dec. 24, 1991: Kim Jong Il named Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army.
April 1993: Named Chairman of the National Defence Commission.
July 8, 1994: Kim Il Sung dies of heart attack and Kim Jong Il inherits power.
Oct. 8, 1997: Kim Jong-Il named General Secretary of the Workers' Party.
August 2008: Kim Jong Il reportedly suffers a stroke.
July 21, 2010: The U.S. imposes new sanctions on North Korea in a bid to stem Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
Sept. 28, 2010: Kim Jong Un promoted to four-star general and given leadership roles in the ruling Workers' Party – moves seen as confirmation he is slated to become the country's next leader. The announcement is North Korean state media's first mention of Kim Jong Un.
Oct. 10, 2010: Kim Jong Un makes public debut at largest military parade the communist state has ever staged. The celebration in Pyongyang marks the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party but also serves as a coming-out party for the younger Kim.
Oct. 11, 2010: Kim Jong-nam, the casino-loving eldest son of Kim Jong Il, says he opposes a hereditary transfer of power to his youngest half-brother. Analysts say Kim Jong Nam spends so much time outside his native land his opinion carries little weight. He spoke to Japan's TV Asahi in an interview from Beijing.
Jan. 28, 2011: Kim Jong-nam says his father opposed continuing the family dynasty into a third generation but named his youngest son as heir to keep the country stable, according to TV Asahi.
Feb. 16, 2011: Kim Jong Il celebrates his 69th birthday.
April 15, 2011: North Koreans honour the country's founder, Kim Il Sung, on the 99th anniversary of his birth. It is the nation's most important holiday and known as "The Day of the Sun."
Dec. 18, 2011: Kim Jong Il's death at age of 69 is announced by state television from Pyongyang.