Kim Jong-il was the supreme ruler of North Korea for 17 years, from 1994 until his death in 2011. In North Korea, almost every building is adorned with portraits, murals, and larger-than-life mosaics of Kim Jong-il and his father, Kim Il-sung, often depicted side-by-side or standing together. After assuming power, Kim Jong-il was frequently referred to as the "Great Comrade," "Supreme Commander," and even "Father," while he was fondly called "Dear Leader" prior to his official rule. He became the heir apparent to the leadership of North Korea in the 1980s and succeeded his father upon his death in 1994. As an autocratic leader, Kim Jong-il ruled with absolute authority, controlling everything from senior appointments to deciding the types of gifts to be distributed to party officials and ordinary citizens during national holidays. During his regime, North Korea suffered from a devastating famine and faced widespread criticism for its poor human rights record. Kim Jong-il also strengthened the military through his "military-first" policy (Songun), which made North Korea’s military the fourth-largest standing army in the world. Legends about Kim's life were propagated by the regime, including claims of supernatural events surrounding both his birth and his death, which were said to have been preceded by mystical occurrences.