Kim Il-sung

President of North Korea
Born Apr 15, 1912
Hometown Pyongyang
Died Jul 8, 1994
Death Place Pyongyang
Political Party Workers’ Party of...
Nationality North Korean
Other Names Kim Ilsong, Gim I...

Kim Il-sung was the ruler of North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death. He was also the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea from 1949 to 1994 (titled as chairman from 1949 to 1966 and as general secretary after 1966).… Read More

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Kim Il-sung
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1912 Birth Born on April 15, 1912.
1920 8 Years Old According to the official version, Kim’s family participated in anti-Japanese activities and in 1920 they fled to Manchuria. … Read More


Kim's father died in 1926, when Kim was fourteen years old. … Read More
1929 17 Years Old The police discovered the group three weeks after it was formed in 1929, and jailed Kim for several months.
1931 19 Years Old In 1931, Kim joined the Communist Party of China. (The Communist Party of Korea had been founded in 1925, but had been thrown out of the Comintern in the early 1930s for being too nationalist.) He joined various anti-Japanese guerrilla groups in northern China, and in 1935 he became a member of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, a guerrilla group led by the Communist Party of China. … Read More


1935 23 Years Old In 1935 Kim took the name Kim Il-sung, meaning "become the sun."
1937 25 Years Old Kim was appointed commander of the 6th division in 1937, at the age of 24, controlling a few hundred men in a group that came to be known as “Kim Il Sung’s division.” It was while he was in command of this division that he executed a raid on Poch’onbo, on 4 June. … Read More
1940 28 Years Old Kim was appointed commander of the 2nd operational region for the 1st Army, but by the end of 1940, he was the only 1st Army leader still alive. … Read More


1948 36 Years Old …  He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death. … Read More
1949 37 Years Old …  In 1949, the Workers Party of North Korea merged with its southern counterpart to become the Workers Party of Korea (WPK) with Kim as party chairman. By 1949, the communists had consolidated their authority in North Korea. … Read More
1951 39 Years Old Kim married Kim Sŏng-ae in 1951, and it is believed he had three children with her: Kim Yŏng-il (not to be confused with the former Premier of North Korea of the same name), Kim Kyŏng-il and Kim Pyong-il. … Read More


1956 44 Years Old …  In 1956, anti-Kim elements encouraged by de-Stalinization in the Soviet Union emerged within the Party to criticize Kim and demand reforms. … Read More


1972 60 Years Old A new constitution was proclaimed in December 1972, under which Kim became President of North Korea.
1980 68 Years Old 1 More Event
1982 70 Years Old North Korea repeatedly predicted that Korea would be re-united before Kim’s 70th birthday in 1982, and there were fears in the West that Kim would launch a new Korean War. … Read More
1991 79 Years Old To ensure a full succession of leadership to his son and designated successor Kim Jong Il, Kim turned over his chairmanship of North Korea's National Defense Commission- the body mainly responsible for control of the armed forces as well as the supreme commandership of the country's now million-man strong military force, the Korean People's Army to his son in 1991 and 1993. … Read More
In early 1994, Kim began investing in nuclear power to offset energy shortages brought on by economic problems. … Read More
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