Kim II-Sung was North Korea’s original evil dictator. He had founded and formed North Korea into the most oppressed, isolated and brutalized nation in the world. Read on for more facts about Kim II-Sung.
Number Seven: Kim II-Sung Is Named “Eternal President” Of North Korea
Over twenty years after his death, Kim II-Sung is still considered the president of North Korea. He was named an “eternal president,” and none of his successors can hold the title.
Number Six: The North Korean Calendar Is Based On Kim Il-Sung’s Birthday
North Korea has a separate calendar based on the day of Kim Il-Sung’s birth: April 15, 1912. His birthday is a celebrated public holiday. The calendar also designates public holidays for various other family members.
Number Five: His Biography Claims That Kim Il-Sung Was Once A Freedom Fighter For Korea
According to his biography, as a child he and his family fled the country during the Japanese occupation and found refuge in Manchuria. Apparently some time later he became involved in occupier-resistance movements as a young man and fought for the “freedom” of Korea.
Number Four: Kim Il-Sung Held Absolute Power Over North Korea
Kim Il-Sung established a one-party government that managed minute aspects of citizens’ lives and killed dissenters and their families or threw them into labor camps.
Number Three: Kim Il-Sung Initiated The Korean War
Backed by the Soviet Union and China, Kim II Sung started the Korean War that took place in 1950-1953. He wanted to unite North and South Korea under Communism.
Number Two: Kim Il-Sung Was A Master Of Political Manipulation
Before his death, he had created a cult of personality around his son, Kim Il-Jong, which firmly established his son’s power; but before Kim II-Jong died, he had not quite done the same for his own son, the current successor Kim Jong Un. Some political commentators think this weakness could lead to the regime’s downfall.
Number One: All North Koreans Were Forced To Mourn Kim Il-Sung’s Death
Upon his death, his body was embalmed and placed into a glass coffin for North Korean citizens to visit and worship. Although much of the world outside North Korea celebrated his passing, North Koreans were forced to mourn his death for ten days.
Kim II-Sung murdered countless North Korean citizens and ruled over the rest by punishment, coercion and manipulation. He passed on his evil regime to his son and grandson, and North Korean citizens today continue to live in misery and poverty under a brutal, hopeless dictatorship.