Does Kim Jong-il is autocratic leader?

Answer 1

A dictator is a ruler who has complete power in a country, especially power which was obtained by force and is used unfairly or cruelly. Kim Jong Il's rise to power had to appear spontaneous, as if it was a result of an uncontrollable popular movement. The only reason why he could become a new leader was, of course, the great and all-consuming love which 'the revolutionary masses ' felt for him It is not too difficult to understand the reasons behind Kim II Sung's decision to break away from the communist tradition and choose his son as his heir. Kim Il Sung had lived through the turbulent period of de-Stalinization. He saw how the posthumous reputation of the communist strongmen had been destroyed by their henchmen- the very same people who had once pledged loyalty to them. Once a leader was dead, he was accused of transgressions, mistakes and crimes. Thus his successor could briefly boast popular support for a new government. There was only one way to insure that his regime and fame would outlive Kim II Sung himself: to arrange a transfer of power within the ruling family. This was easier to accomplish in NK than elsewhere, since form the 1960s it had a much greater degree of nepotism than other communist countries. The promotion of Kim Jong Il triggered an unprecedented parallel campaign of glorification of his mother, a guerrilla fighter As Kim Jong Il solidified power as a dynastic successor, he gained hold of one of the most important posts in the country: general secretary of the ruling worker's party. It would give him near complete autonomy to run the country as he saw fit., In 1994, his father would be dead of a heart attack, leaving the younger Kim in full command. During the four years of official mourning for his father, Kim Jong Il continued to rule the country with a heavy hand. Displaying what are now frequently cited eccentricities, Kim reportedly refused to allow his father's other children to attend the funeral and spent an "astronomical sum" on a mausoleum for his father's body. Once Kim was firmly in power after his father's death, the country's march toward militarism continued. As his former teacher recounts, "Kim believed that although North Korea is a small state, through a 'military-first' policy, he could stabilize the nation; by growing the military, he could make North Korea a 'powerful and prosperous state.'" The nuclear crisis that ensued made North Korea an international pariah instead.

Answer 2

Kim Jong-il is a dictator because his father, Kim il-sung, was a dictator and after his death he gave his full power of North Korea to his "proud" son Kim Jong-il