Kim said that he was raised in a very active Presbyterian Christian family. : 73 1927 portrait of Kim, published in his autobiography With the CenturyĪccording to Kim, his family was always a step away from poverty. : 12 According to a 1964 semi-official biography of Kim, he was born in his mother's home in Chingjong, and later grew up in Mangyungbong. Kim was reportedly born in the small village of Mangyungbong (then called Namni) near Pyongyang on 15 April 1912. In 1860, his great-grandfather, Kim Ung-u, settled in the Mangyongdae neighborhood of Pyongyang. Kim's family, part of the Jeonju Kim clan, is said to have originated from Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. : 3 Kim Chul Ju died while fighting the Japanese and Kim Yong Ju was involved in the North Korean government and considered an heir to his brother before falling out of favor. Kim had two younger brothers, Kim Chul Ju and Kim Yong Ju. Kim was born Kim Song-ju to father Kim Hyong Jik and mother Kang Pan Suk. At the 6th WPK Congress in 1980, his oldest son Kim Jong Il was elected to be a Presidium member and chosen to be his successor, thus establishing the Kim dynasty.Įarly life Family background The house in which Kim was born Known as the Great Leader ( Suryong), he established a far-reaching personality cult which dominates domestic politics in North Korea. Kim outlived his allies Joseph Stalin by over four decades and Mao Zedong by almost two decades and remained in power during the terms of office of six South Korean Presidents and ten United States Presidents. This was part of an infiltration and subversion campaign to reunify the peninsula under North Korea's rule. During this period, North Korea also remained critical of the United States defense force's presence in the region, which it considered imperialist, having seized the American ship USS Pueblo in 1968. The resulting loss of economic aid negatively affected the North's economy, contributing to widespread famine in 1994. Despite this, the country received funds, subsidies and aid from the USSR and the Eastern Bloc until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Differences emerged between North Korea and the Soviet Union chief among them was Kim Il Sung's philosophy of Juche, which focused on Korean nationalism and self-reliance. The situation was reversed in the 1980s, as a newly stable South Korea became an economic powerhouse which was fueled by Japanese and American investment, military aid and internal economic development, while North Korea stagnated and then declined during the same period. By the late 1950s and during the 1960s and 1970s, North Korea enjoyed a higher standard of living than the South, which was suffering from political chaos and economic crises. It had very close political and economic relations with the Soviet Union. ![]() Under his leadership, North Korea was established as a totalitarian socialist personalist dictatorship with a centrally planned economy. He was the third-longest serving non-royal head of state/government in the 20th century, in office for more than 45 years. Following the military stalemate in the Korean War, a ceasefire was signed in July 1953. Coming to power after the end of Japanese rule over Korea in 1945 following Japan's surrender in World War II, he authorized the invasion of South Korea in 1950, triggering an intervention in defense of South Korea by the United Nations led by the United States. He was the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) from 1949 to 1994 (titled as chairman from 1949 to 1966 and as general secretary after 1966). He held the posts of the Premier from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to 1994. Afterwards, he was declared eternal president. ![]() Kim Il Sung ( / ˈ k ɪ m ˈ ɪ l ˈ s ʌ ŋ, - ˈ s ʊ ŋ/ Korean: 김일성, Korean pronunciation: born Kim Sung Ju 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled as Supreme Leader from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.
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