Kim Il Sung

Founder of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Life

Anti-Japanese resistance in Northeast China

Kim Il Sung was born near Pyongyang and moved with his family to Northeast China as a boy. In the 1930s he joined the anti-Japanese armed struggle in Northeast China, and later went to the Soviet Far East.

Founding of the state

After Japan surrendered in 1945 he returned to northern Korea. When the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was founded in 1948 he became Premier, and later President and General Secretary of the Workers' Party. In the Korean War of 1950–1953, the Chinese People's Volunteers entered Korea to fight, and the war ended in an armistice agreement.

Juche

He put forward the Juche ideology and ruled for forty-six years. He died in 1994, and his son Kim Jong Il succeeded him as leader.

Legacy

Kim Il Sung was the founder of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which honors him as its "Eternal President"; during his rule North Korea had a highly centralized political system.

Did you know? His birthday, April 15, is North Korea's most important holiday, the "Day of the Sun."

Key dates

• 1932Joins anti-Japanese armed struggle in Northeast China (approx.)
• 1945Returns to Korea
• 1948Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
• 1950Korean War breaks out
• 1953Armistice
• 1994Died