Editing Kim Jong-il (section)

== Presidium member and party secretary (1980–1994) ==
By the time of the Sixth Party Congress in October 1980, Jong-il's control of the Party operation was complete. He was given senior posts in the Politburo, the Military Commission and the party Secretariat. According to his official biography, the WPK Central Committee had already anointed him successor to Kim Il-sung in February 1974. When he was made a member of the Seventh Supreme People's Assembly in February 1982, international observers deemed him the heir apparent of North Korea.

At this time, Jong-il assumed the title "Dear Leader" (친애하는 지도자, ch'inaehanŭn jidoja) the government began building a personality cult around him patterned after that of his [[Kim Il-sung|father]], the "Great Leader." Jong-il was regularly hailed by the media as the "fearless leader" and "the great successor to the revolutionary cause." He emerged as the most powerful figure behind his father in North Korea.

On December 24, 1991, Jong-il was also named supreme commander of the North Korean armed forces. Since the Army is the real foundation of power in North Korea, this was a vital step. Defence Minister Oh Jin-wu, one of Il-sung's most loyal subordinates, engineered Jong-il's acceptance by the Army as the next leader of North Korea, despite his lack of military service. The only other possible leadership candidate, Prime Minister Kim Il (no relation), was removed from his posts in 1976. In 1992, Il-sung publicly stated that his son was in charge of all internal affairs in the Democratic People's Republic.

In 1992, radio broadcasts started calling him the "Dear Father," instead of the "Dear Leader," suggesting a promotion. His 50th birthday in February was the occasion for massive celebrations, exceeded only by those for the 80th birthday of Il-sung himself on 15 April that same year.

According to defector Hwang Jang-yop, the North Korean government system became even more centralized and autocratic during the 1980s and 1990s under Jong-il than it had been under his father. In one example explained by Hwang, although Il-sung required his ministers to be loyal to him, he nonetheless and frequently sought their advice during decision-making. In contrast, Jong-il demanded absolute obedience and agreement from his ministers and party officials with no advice or compromise, and he viewed any slight deviation from his thinking as a sign of disloyalty. According to Hwang, Jong-il personally directed even minor details of state affairs, such as the size of houses for party secretaries and the delivery of gifts to his subordinates.

By the 1980s, North Korea began to experience severe economic stagnation. Il-sung's policy of [[juche]] (self-reliance) cut the country off from almost all external trade, even with its traditional partners, the Soviet Union and China.

South Korea accused Jong-il of ordering the [[1983 Rangoon bombing|1983 bombing in Rangoon, Burma]] (now Yangon, Myanmar), which killed 17 visiting South Korean officials, including 4 cabinet members<ref>[https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/rangoon-bombing-north-korea%E2%80%99s-1983-attempt-destroy-south-korea%E2%80%99s-government-190689 The Rangoon Bombing: North Korea’s 1983 Attempt to Destroy South Korea’s Government], ''The National Interest''</ref>, and another in 1987 which killed all 115 on board Korean Air Flight 858. A North Korean agent named [[Kim Hyon-hui]] confessed to planting a bomb in the case of the second, saying the operation was ordered by Jong-il personally.<ref>[https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2020/01/24/The-tale-of-KAL-Flight-858-how-woman-who-bombed-it-walks-free/7101579813401/ The tale of KAL Flight 858, how woman who bombed it walks free], ''United Press International''</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/01/16/s-korea-accuses-north-after-agents-confession/6ce8cf57-38b0-49a8-a585-c9a087985fb9/ S. KOREA ACCUSES NORTH AFTER AGENT'S CONFESSION], ''The Washington Post''</ref>

In 1992, Jong-il's voice was broadcast within North Korea for the first time during a military parade for the KPA's 60th year anniversary in Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung Square, in which Il-sung attended with Jong-il by his side. After Il-sung's speech, and the parade inspection his son approached the microphone at the grandstand in response to the report of the parade inspector and simply said: "Glory to the heroic soldiers of the Korean People's Army!". Everyone in the audience applauded and the parade participants at the square grounds (which included veteran soldiers and officers of the KPA) shouted "10,000 years" 3 times after that.

He was named Chairman of the National Defence Commission on April 9, 1993, making him day-to-day commander of the armed forces.