“Comrade Kim Il Sung is there. Pyongyang

Kim Il Sung is the founder of the North Korean state, Eternal President of the DPRK, Generalissimo. During his life and after his death, he holds the title “Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung.” Now North Korea is ruled by the grandson of the country's first president, although Kim Il Sung remains the actual leader (in 1994 it was decided to leave the post to the leader of Korea forever).

A cult of personality, similar to the cult in the USSR, was restored around Kim Il Sung and subsequent leaders of Korea. The cult of personality has made Kim Il Sung a semi-deity in North Korea, and the country itself one of the most closed in the world.

Childhood and youth

The biography of Kim Il Sung consists of many legends and myths. It is difficult to identify what events actually took place at the beginning of the life of the future Great Leader of the Korean people. It is known that Kim Song-ju was born on April 15, 1912 in the village of Namni, Kopyong Township, Taedong County (now Mangyongdae) near Pyongyang. Kim Sung-ju's father is the village teacher Kim Hyun-jik. Kang Bang Seok's mother, according to some sources, is the daughter of a Protestant priest. The family lived poorly. Some sources claim that Kim Hyun Jik and Kang Bang Seok were part of the resistance movement in Japanese-occupied Korea.

In 1920, Kim Song-ju's family moved to China. The boy went to Chinese school. In 1926, his father, Kim Hyun Jik, died. When he entered high school, Kim Sung-ju joined an underground Marxist circle. After the organization was discovered in 1929, he went to jail. I spent six months in prison. After leaving prison, Kim Sung-ju became a member of the anti-Japanese resistance in China. At the age of 20 in 1932, he led an anti-Japanese partisan detachment. Then he took the pseudonym Kim Il Sung (Rising Sun).

Politics and military career

His military career quickly took off. In 1934, Kim Il Sung commanded a platoon of the guerrilla army. In 1936, he became the commander of a partisan formation called the “Kim Il Sung Division.” On June 4, 1937, he led the attack on the Korean city of Pochonbo. During the attack, a gendarme post and some Japanese administrative points were destroyed. The successful attack characterized Kim Il Sung as a successful military leader.

In the period 1940-1945, the future North Korean leader commanded the 2nd direction of the 1st United People's Army. In 1940, Japanese troops managed to suppress the activities of most partisan detachments in Manchuria. The Comintern (an organization uniting communist parties from different countries) invited Korean and Chinese partisan detachments to move to the USSR. Kim Il Sung's partisans were based near Ussuriysk. In the spring of 1941, Kim Il Sung and a small detachment crossed the Chinese border and carried out a number of anti-Japanese operations.

In the summer of 1942, Kim Il Sung was accepted into the ranks of the Red Army (Workers' and Peasants' Red Army) under the name "Comrade Jing Zhi-cheng" and was appointed commander of the 1st Rifle Battalion of the 88th Separate Rifle Brigade. The brigade consisted of Korean and Chinese fighters. The 1st Battalion consisted mainly of Korean partisans. Kim Il Sung, together with the commander of the 88th Brigade, Zhou Baozhong, met with the commander of Soviet troops in the Far East, Joseph Opanasenko.

As a result of the meeting, a decision was made to create the United International Forces. The association was strictly classified, Kim Il Sung’s base near Ussuriysk was transferred to Khabarovsk, to the village of Vyatskoye. Many future party comrades of Kim Il Sung lived in the military dormitory of the village. The 88th Brigade was preparing for sabotage guerrilla activities in Japan. After the surrender of Japan, the brigade was disbanded. Kim Il Sung, along with other Korean commanders, was sent to assist Soviet commandants in Korean and Chinese cities. The future Korean leader was appointed assistant commandant of Pyongyang.

On October 14, 1945, Kim Il Sung delivered a congratulatory speech in honor of the Red Army at a rally at the Pyongyang stadium. Captain of the Red Army Kim Il Sung was introduced by the commander of the 25th Army, Colonel General Ivan Mikhailovich Chistyakov as a “national hero.” The people learned the name of the new hero. Kim Il Sung's rapid path to power began. In December 1946, Kim Il Sung became chairman of the organizing bureau of the Communist Party of North Korea. A year later he headed the Provisional People's Committee. In 1948, Kim Il Sung was elected Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the DPRK.

By decision of the Potsdam Conference in 1945, Korea was divided into two parts along the 38th parallel. The northern part came under the influence of the USSR, and the southern part was occupied by American troops. In 1948, Syngman Rhee became president of South Korea. North and South Korea made claims that their political system was the only correct one. War was brewing on the Korean Peninsula. The final decision to start hostilities, according to historians, was made during Kim Il Sung's visit to Moscow in 1950.

The war between North and South Korea began on June 25, 1950, with a surprise attack by Pyongyang. Kim Il Sung took over as commander in chief. The war lasted with alternating success between the warring parties until July 27, 1953, when a ceasefire agreement was signed. Pyongyang remained under the influence of the USSR, and Seoul - the USA. A peace treaty between North and South Korea has not been signed to this day. The Korean Peninsula War was the first military conflict of the Cold War. All local conflicts with the behind-the-scenes presence of world superpowers were subsequently built on its model.

After 1953, the DPRK economy, supported by Moscow and Beijing, began a rapid rise. Since the beginning of the Sino-Soviet conflict, Kim Il Sung had to show diplomatic qualities, learning to maneuver between China and the USSR. The leader tried to maintain a policy of neutrality with the conflicting parties, leaving economic assistance to the DPRK at the same level. The Tzan system predominates in industry, implying the absence of self-financing and material dependence.

The country's economic planning is carried out from the center. Private farming is outlawed and destroyed. The country's work is subordinated to the needs of the military-industrial complex. The strength of the Korean People's Army has reached 1 million people. By the early 70s, the DPRK economy entered a period of stagnation, and the standard of living of citizens deteriorated. To maintain stability in the country, the authorities focused on strengthening the ideological indoctrination of the population and total control.

In 1972, the post of prime minister was eliminated. The post of President of the DPRK was established for Kim Il Sung. The personality cult of Kim Il Sung began to develop in 1946, when photographs of the leader were hung next to portraits of Joseph Stalin in places where rallies and meetings were held.

The first monument to the North Korean leader was erected during his lifetime, in 1949. The worship of “Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung” reached a wide scale in the 60s and continues to this day. During his lifetime, the leader of the DPRK received the titles “Iron All-Conquering Commander”, “Marshal of the Mighty Republic”, “Pledge of the Liberation of Mankind”, etc. Korean social scientists have created a new science, “the study of revolutionary leaders,” which studies the role of the leader in world history.

Personal life

In 1935, in Manchuria, the future Great Leader met the daughter of a poor peasant from North Korea, Kim Jong Suk. Since April 25, 1937, Kim Jong Suk served in the Korean People's Army under the leadership of Kim Il Sung. The wedding of Korean communists took place in 1940. A son was born in the village of Vyatskoye near Khabarovsk. According to some reports, the boy’s name was Yuri at the beginning of his life.

Kim Jong Suk died in childbirth on September 22, 1949 at the age of 31. Kim Il Sung forever preserved the memory of Kim Jong Suk. In 1972, the woman was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Korea.

The second wife of the Korean leader in 1952 was Secretary Kim Song E. Children of Kim Il Sung: sons Kim Jong Il, Kim Pyong Il, Kim Man Il and Kim Yong Il, daughters Kim Kyong Hee and Kim Kayong-Jin.

Death

On July 8, 1994, Kim Il Sung died of a heart attack at the age of 82. Since the mid-80s, the leader of North Korea suffered from a tumor. Photos from that period clearly show bone formations on the leader’s neck. Mourning for the leader lasted three years in North Korea. After the end of mourning, power passed to Kim Il Sung’s eldest son, Kim Jong Il.

After the death of Kim Il Sung, the leader's body was placed in a transparent sarcophagus and is located in the Kumsusan Sun Memorial Palace. The mausoleum of Kim Il Sung and the second President of Korea Kim Jong Il forms a single complex with the Revolutionary Memorial Cemetery. The body of Kim Il Sung's mother and his first wife rests in the cemetery. The memorial is visited by thousands of citizens of Korea and other countries. In the halls of Kumsusan, visitors see the leader's belongings, his car and the luxurious carriage in which Kim Il Sung traveled.

Memory

Kim Il Sung is commemorated in North Korea with the names of streets, a university and a central square in Pyongyang. Every year, Koreans celebrate Sun Day, dedicated to the birthday of Kim Il Sung. The Order of Kim Il Sung is the main award in the country. In 1978, banknotes with the image of Kim Il Sung were released. Production continued until 2002.

On the occasion of the leader’s seventieth birthday, the second tallest structure was opened in Pyongyang - a monumental granite stele 170 meters high. The monument is called the “Monument to the Juche Ideas.” Juche is the North Korean national communist idea (Marxism adapted for the Korean population).

Every place in North Korea that Kim Il Sung has ever visited is marked with a plaque and declared a national treasure. The leader’s works are republished many times and studied in schools and higher educational institutions. Quotes from the works of Kim Il Sung are memorized by work collectives at meetings.

Awards

Hero of the DPRK (three times)
Hero of Labor of the DPRK
Order of the Red Banner (DPRK)
Order of the Golden Star (DPRK)
Order of Karl Marx
The order of Lenin
Order "Victory of Socialism"
Order of Klement Gottwald
Order of the State Flag, 1st class
Order of Freedom and Independence, 1st class

In the 1920s lived in China, where he was educated at a Chinese school. He joined a Chinese partisan detachment, quickly rose to the top and became a commander. He gained fame in Korea after his squad attacked a small Japanese garrison on the border between China and Korea. Soon the partisans were defeated, and Kim Il Sung and the remnants of his detachment broke through to the border with the USSR. In the Soviet Union, he was recruited into the Soviet Army and received the rank of captain. For propaganda purposes, a company was formed from Koreans, which he led.

He led the life of an ordinary officer, got married, and in 1942 his son Yuri was born, who later became a comrade of KIM Jong Il. After the Soviet Union occupied North Korea in 1945, the Soviet leadership decided to make Kim Il Sung the leader of the local communists. Kim was considered “one of his own”, unlike the Korean underground fighters, whom Stalin did not trust. So Captain Kim became the party leader, despite the low authority of the visiting officer among the Korean communists.

In 1948, on the territory of North Korea occupied by the Soviet army, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was proclaimed, power in which was in the hands of the communist Workers' Party of Korea, headed by Kim Il Sung. He was hailed as the "leader of the Korean people."

A large number of Soviet and Chinese specialists (Koreans by nationality) were sent to Korea, who, having become citizens of the DPRK, helped in building industry and creating an army. Kim planned to unite the two Koreas militarily, but his invasion of the South was stopped by the Americans. Kim's army was defeated, and the DPRK survived only thanks to the help of the USSR and China. After the Korean War, Kim Il Sung gradually freed himself from the tutelage of his allies. Under the pretext of fighting American agents, Kim Il Sung destroyed old leaders of the Korean communist movement who could challenge his primacy. At the end of the 1950s. he expelled or executed most Koreans of Soviet and Chinese descent. By the beginning of the 1960s. everyone who was not ready to deify the “leader” was destroyed.

Kim Il Sung settled in a luxurious palace in Pyongyang. Monuments to him were erected throughout North Korea. He regularly traveled around the country, personally instructing how peasants, milkmaids, and obstetricians should work. This was called “local leadership.” The lives of millions of Koreans depended on Kim's slightest quirks. When in the 1980s Kim appeared in a jacket for the first time, this led to a general change in fashion among party workers (ordinary residents of the country did not have the means to buy jackets).

Power ended up with party apparatchiks from the peasants, who owed their appointment personally to the leader. Kim's foreign policy goal was to take over South Korea. Until 1968, he tried to launch a guerrilla war in the south along the Vietnamese model, but, having failed, he moved on to organizing terrorist actions against South Korea. To fight the South, the DPRK maintained a huge army, for which the entire population of the country worked. Since Kim's actions were criticized by the Soviet Union, North Korea reduced contacts with the USSR and switched to a policy of “self-reliance.” But with an extremely backward economy, the North Korean people were and are constantly on the verge of starvation. Despite this, North Korean propaganda continued to claim that North Koreans live the best lives in the world. To ensure his subjects' faith in this, Kim almost completely isolated the country from the outside world. Under Kim Il Sung, the life of the ordinary North Korean was under the constant control of the party organization and the security service. In order to leave your permanent place of residence even for a short time, it was necessary to obtain a special business trip. Each North Korean received food at a strict rate. Officials have always had the opportunity to buy scarce products in special stores.

The cult of personality of Kim Il Sung manifested itself in full after the massive “purges” among the opposition at the end of the Korean War in 1953. The process of establishing a regime of personal power was completed by 1958. By instilling a cult of personality, Kim Il Sung pursued two goals: to strengthen the regime of personal power and facilitate the future succession of power to Kim Jong Il. The cult of personality was introduced into the consciousness of Koreans through the creation of symbols, rewriting the biography of the “leader” and indoctrination.

Two factors played a decisive role in the formation of Kim Il Sung’s cult of personality. First, it is stated that he is a leader who came from the people who came to fulfill a great mission in Korean history. To this end, North Korean historians have portrayed Kim as a successor to the valiant deeds of his ancestors, and he has emerged as a hero of the anti-Japanese resistance. Thus, historians of modern Korean history focus on the origins of Kim Il Sung, and historians of the anti-Japanese movement describe the heroic deeds of Kim Il Sung in the field of revolutionary struggle. The North Korean version of history serves as a justification for the one-man rule of Kim Il Sung. Secondly, the outstanding abilities of Kim Il Sung are extolled in every possible way. It is believed that he is not only a hero of the resistance, but also a great thinker who surpassed Marx and Lenin, as well as a brilliant theorist who had his say in various fields of human activity: political, economic, social, cultural and in the field of art. Thus, to justify Kim Il Sung's regime of absolute power, they cite his heroic biography and exceptional talent.

When addressing Kim Il Sung, the titles most often used were “Leader-Father”, “Great Leader”, “God-Like”. His name in all printed publications was printed in a special font so that it stood out against the background of the rest of the text. Kim Il Sung authored all of North Korea's founding documents, including the Constitution, Labor Law, Land Law, and education regulations. Any printed publications - newspapers, magazines, school textbooks and scientific publications - began with the instructions of Kim Il Sung. All North Koreans in school were taught that they owe it to a “caring Leader” for being fed, clothed and able to work. His portraits were in every home, throughout the country there were countless “places of worship” of the Leader, including 35 thousand of his statues.

The deification of Kim Il Sung continued after his death. His body was installed “in perpetuity” in the Presidential Palace in Pyongyang, his power was immortalized in the title “Eternal President”, his influence was preserved through the regime of “rule by testament”. Thus, the perpetuated influence of Kim Il Sung serves as a justification for the current regime of the sole power of Kim Jong Il. Probably, someday they will stop talking about the “immortality” of Kim Il Sung, but for now it is clearly premature to think so.

08.07.1994

Kim Sung-ju

Statesman

News & Events

07/06/1961 A friendship treaty was signed between the USSR and North Korea

07/27/1953 Korean Armistice Agreement signed

06/25/1950 The Korean War began

10/10/1945 The Workers' Party of Korea was created

09/08/1945 Division of Korea along the 38th parallel into North and South

Kim Song-ju was born on April 15, 1912 in the village of Namni. In 1920, he and his family live in China, where he joins a secret Marxist circle.

At the end of the 1930s, he commanded a partisan detachment in Manchuria, which was soon defeated, and Kim Il Sung himself fled to the USSR, where he was recruited into the Soviet army.

In 1942, he was awarded the rank of captain of the Red Army and led the battalion of the 88th Khabarovsk Rifle Brigade. Then he got married, and in 1942 his son, Yuri, was born.

In 1948, with the active support of the Soviet Union, he became the prime minister of the created DPRK and the head of the communist Workers' Party of Korea, and in 1953 he was declared a marshal and Hero of the Korean State.

Since 1972 he has served as President of North Korea. Since the late 1950s, all leading positions in the country have been in the hands of Kim Il Sung's comrades in the guerrilla struggle. Relying on economic assistance from the USSR and China, Kim Il Sung carried out a number of activities in the 1950s, thanks to which the country's economy developed quickly and successfully.

At the turn of the 1950s-60s, considerable ideological changes took place in the life of North Korea - the government of Kim Il Sung began promoting the ideas of “Juche”, emphasizing the superiority of everything Korean over everything foreign. In industry, a system is being established that completely denies any form of cost accounting and material interest. Personal plots and market trade are declared a bourgeois-feudal relic and are liquidated. The economy is militarized, central planning becomes all-pervasive.

The leader’s foreign policy was primarily aimed at capturing South Korea, so maintaining a huge army required large funds, and almost the entire country worked for it. Since Kim's actions were criticized by the Soviet Union, North Korea reduced contacts with the USSR and switched to a policy of “self-reliance.” All this led to a deterioration in the economic situation in the country, and the people to a virtual state of poverty. Despite this, North Korean propaganda continued to claim that North Koreans lived the best lives in the world, and to ensure their belief in this did not shake, Kim almost completely isolated the country from the outside world, and ensured the stability of society through strict control over the population combined with massive indoctrination .

In terms of the scope of the activities of the repressive bodies and the massiveness of the ideological influence, the regime of Kim Il Sung was perhaps comparable to the regime of Stalin in the USSR. In addition, he constantly pursued a policy of self-praise in the country. Kim Il Sung's official title, both during life and after death: "Great Leader, Marshal, Comrade Kim Il Sung."

He was awarded the Orders of Lenin, Karl Marx, Victory of Socialism, “For Contribution to the Victory” and other awards.

In 1994, on July 8, Kim Il Sung died in the capital of the DPRK, Pyongyang. On September 5, 1998, the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK declared him Eternal President.

The leader’s body is now in the Kumsuan mausoleum, where he rests in a special sarcophagus.

Kim Il Sung (Korean 김일성, April 15, 1912, Mangyongdae - July 8, 1994, Pyongyang) - participant in the international communist and labor movement, founder and ruler of the DPRK from 1948 to , generalissimo. The founder of the Korean version of Marxism is.

early years

There are different versions of how Kim Il Sung's life began. According to the official version, he was born in the village of Namni (now Mangyongdae) near Pyongyang in the family of a rural teacher, Kim Hyun Jik. According to another version, Kim Il Sung was born Chhinjong, into a family of hereditary Protestant priests. Had two siblings. Kim's family, if not living poorly, was one step away from poverty. Kim Il Sung received a Protestant upbringing because many of his ancestors were Protestant priests. In , Kim Il Sung and his family fled to Manchuria due to the Japanese invasion of Korea, which Kim's parents took part in fighting. In , Kim Il Sung's father died.

Beginning of political activity

In October of the same year, Kim took part in the activities of the Union for the Overthrow of Imperialism. From 1927 to attended high school in Jilin. It was then that he became interested in communist ideology. He joined an underground communist youth organization operating in southern Manchuria. Stopped attending school after he was arrested for political activities. Spent several months behind bars. C began to participate in numerous anti-Japanese uprisings. , stood at the head of an armed detachment of participants in the anti-Japanese partisan movement.

Military activities

S was a member of the United Northeast Anti-Japanese Army. IN . was appointed commander of the sixth division, known as the Kim Il Sung Division. Made raids into enemy territories. Once he won a major victory, for which he was appointed to a higher post. One day, Kim Il Sung's detachment fell into disgrace with the Japanese troops and he had to flee across the Amur, to the USSR, to Khabarovsk. Where he trained in the Red Army camp. He was in the Soviet Union until the end of World War II. The Red Army entered Pyongyang meeting almost no resistance. Kim Il Sung personally met with Lavrenty Pavlovich Beria. He was then appointed leader of the country on the advice of Beria and orders of Stalin.

Creation of the KNA

Kim arrived in Korea after twenty-six years of exile. In September, he paid a visit to the USSR in the person of the head of the provisional government. One of the undeniable achievements of Kim Il Sung is the creation of the Korean People's Army (). Consisting mainly of Korean communists and anti-Japanese resistance guerrillas. Who have already gained combat experience in battles not only with the Japanese occupiers, but also with Kuomintang troops. After the creation of the KPA, Kim Il Sung taught the soldiers special tactics of guerrilla warfare. The army was supplied with heavy Soviet tanks, trucks, and small arms. The KPA Air Force was created in Korea, but equipped with some Soviet parts. The Soviet Mig-15 jet aircraft was put into service.

Beginning of reign (1948 – 1953)

In May, the Korean Peninsula was divided into North and South Korea. was officially proclaimed. Kim Il Sung was appointed prime minister. The USSR recognized the new government of socialist Korea. The Korean Communist Party merged with the New People's Party, thus forming. And Kim Il Sung was appointed chairman. In , the ruling coalition “United Democratic Fatherland Front” was formed.

Further reign

After the devastating war, Kim Il Sung made a lot of efforts to restore the country. A national economic plan was adopted to transition the country to a planned economy. Industry was nationalized and agriculture was collectivized. Kim Il Sung pursued a policy to eliminate class differences, the economy was built to benefit the needs of workers and peasants, and the production of weapons. After the 20th Congress of the CPSU, he condemned the “exposure of Stalin’s personality cult.” After this, Kim Il Sung began to build relations with Eastern European socialist countries and leaders such as (SRR), (NSRA),

Death and funeral

He died of a sudden heart attack, despite the efforts of doctors to save him. Death was announced thirty hours later. The funeral committee was headed by Kim Jong Il. The body was embalmed and placed in the mausoleum on July 17. Where he rests in a glass coffin, covered with the flag of the Korean Labor Party.

Personal life

First wife: Kim Jong Suk. From her, Kim Il Sung had two children: Kim Jong Il and Kim Pyong Il. Kim Jong Suk died in 1947. In 1951, Kim Il Sung married for the second time with his second wife and had three children.

Perpetuation of memory

There are currently more than 500 statues of Kim Il Sung in the DPRK. The most famous are located: near the stadium, university and square in Pyongyang named in his honor. Kim Il Sung is depicted in places associated with public transport (train stations, airports). Kim is also depicted on North Korean banknotes.

International Friendship Exhibition

On August 26, 1978, the International Friendship Exhibition Museum was built in the DPRK. The total area of which is 70 square kilometers. Includes 150 rooms. It contains gifts that were given to Kim Il Sung by heads of other states at different times - 220 thousand in total. Among them:

Honorary Doctorate from Quaid-i-Azam University in Pakistan

Order of the State Banner, 1st class (1951, DPRK)

Order of Freedom and Independence, 1st class (1952, DPRK)

Hero of the DPRK (four times)

Hero of Labor of the DPRK - 1953

Order "For Contribution to Victory" - 2006 (posthumously)

Proceedings

Kim Il Sung. Essays. B 46 vol., Pyongyang: Foreign Language Literature Publishing House, 1980-2007
Kim Il Sung. About Juche in our revolution. B 3 vols., Pyongyang: Foreign Language Literature Publishing House, 1980-1982

Literature about Kim Il Sung

A Brief History of the Revolutionary Activities of Comrade Kim Il Sung, Pyongyang: Foreign Language Literature Publishing House, 1969
Lankov, A.. Informal history of North Korea. M.: East-West, 2004
Comrade Kim Il Sung is a brilliant thinker and theorist. Pyongyang: Foreign Language Literature Publishing House, 1975