Kim Ranks Second on Worst Dictator List

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il ranked second on this year’s list of the world`s worst dictators for the second consecutive year.

The U.S. weekly Parade released its list of the world`s top 10 dictators yesterday based on data from human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, Reporters without Borders, and Amnesty International, and compiled by freelance writer David Walachinski.

Sudanese President Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir, who came to power in 1989, topped the list for the second straight year. In Sudan, an estimated 180,000 people have been executed for racial and religious reasons since February 2003.

Soon-Taek Kwon maypole@donga.com