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North Korea's state media made a big propaganda in 2005 when Kim was included in that year's list, running an article, titled, "The American Time Magazine Praises Kim Jong-il as World's Celebrity" at that time.
There were initial expectations that Kim would make it to this year's list, given North Korea's act of expelling international experts from its nuclear site, threatening to restart its nuclear facilities, and lately, announcing to carry out another nuclear test, all of them drawing keen international attention.
"Perhaps, North Korea itself was also expecting it," RFA said.
This year's new entry included U.S. President Barak Obama, British Prime Minster Gordon Brown, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao, who is widely believed to become the next Chinese top leader when the incumbent Hu Jintao steps down in 2012.
No South Korean figure also made it to the list. So are former U.S. president George W Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
The American weekly announces the list on the first week of May annually. The magazine selects both "famous" and "notorious," based on the person's impact, without being morally judgmental. The notorious Mexican drug lord Joaqu?n Guzm?n, for example, made it to this year's list.
