Time magazine named North Korean leader Kim Jong-un one of the 100 most influential people in the world on Thursday, calling the young dictator an "exploiter of fears."

"Kim Jong-un is the 30-something boss of a family-run totalitarian state. Beefy, murderous and quick with a toothy grin, he takes after his late grandfather Kim Il-sung, North Korea's Great Leader," the magazine said. "Dictatorships need enemies like fish need water, and the essential enemy of North Korea is the U.S."

The North started the 1950-53 Korean War by invading the South, and the communist regime uses memories of U.S. bombings during the war for propaganda purposes and to claim that it needs nuclear weapons and missiles for self-defense, the magazine said.

"For the few who resist, the Great Leader's gulag is still going strong, having committed crimes against humanity for more than half a century. With Google Earth, the camps are visible on your phone," it said.

The 100 influential people broke down into 23 pioneers, 15 titans, 18 artists, 31 leaders and 13 icons.

Korean-American chef Roy Choi, known for his food truck business selling Korean barbecue tacos, was also named among the 100 people.

"Roy Choi first changed the world when he elevated the food-truck concept from 'roach coach' to highly sought-after, ultra-hot-yet-democratic rolling restaurant," Time said. "It was a new entrepreneurial model that allowed talented culinarians to make their mark without hundreds of thousands of dollars in investor money." (Yonhap)