North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has been named the third worst dictator in the world, Yonhap News Agency reported Sunday, quoting a U.S. weekly magazine.
Kim is the worst only after Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Sudan's Omar al-Bashir, the magazine Parade said in "The World's 10 Worst Dictatorships" published in its Sunday edition.
"Kim is believed to have suffered a stroke and has been absent from important public events. But his regime continues to be one of the world's most repressive," the magazine said. "Hundreds of thousands of citizens, including children, are imprisoned in labor camps for such crimes as hoarding food and anti-socialist activities."
The North Korean leader was selected by the magazine as the worst dictator last year.
The magazine noted that U.S relationship with North Korea has recently been dominated by North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
The U.S. has been engaging in multilateral talks on ending the North's nuclear weapons programs. The six-party talks, also involving South Korea, China, Japan and Russia, were stalled in December as North Korea refused to agree to a verification protocol over its nuclear facilities.
"Secretary of State Clinton recently expressed concern over a possible succession struggle and signs that North Korea is preparing to test a long-range missile, which is considered highly provocative to South Korea and Japan," the magazine was quoted as saying.