Kim Jong Il

The North Korean dictator and enigmatic leader passed away on Dec 27, 2011. He was 69. His death was only announced officially on Monday, Dec 19 on state television from the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. He is believed to have died in the middle of a train journey "from a great mental and physical strain."

Kim was 33 when he was anointed the top job and was understood to have nuclear ambitions for his country. He is credited to have introduced the country's nuclear arms arsenal, which culminated in North Korea's first nuclear test explosion, an underground blast conducted in Oct 2006.