Introduction:
Kim Il-Sung was the North Korean leader and the first-ever President of North Korea. His rule was to last for 48 years, with his death in 1994. He is often referred to as the Great Leader or the Dear Leader, and he founded the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK, after the liberation from Japanese colonial rule. It was in 1948 that Kim Il-Sung was declared the first President of North Korea and the Supreme Leader of the Korean Workers’ Party. Under his leadership, a globally renowned ideology known as Juche was established, along with its three main tenets of political independence, economic self-sufficiency, and military self-reliance.
Kim Il-Sung’s Early Life:
Kim Il-Sung was born into poverty on April 15, 1912 in Mangyongdae, a small village located in the South Hamgyong Province in the northeastern part of North Korea. His parents were Kim Hyong-Jik, a Christian minister, and Kang Pan-Sok, a peasant farmer. At the age of seven, he was sent to live with relatives in Jilin, China, where he attended elementary school for four years. By the age of 14, Kim Il-Sung had begun participating actively in the Korean independence movement, and he was soon appointed as the local leader of an anti-Japanese militia group known as Young Friends.
In 1926, Kim Il-Sung joined the national Korean Revolutionary Army and began studying Marxist-Leninist theory. In 1931, he went to the Soviet Union to attend the Lenin School, where he studied guerrilla tactics and military strategy. It was here that he made several influential connections that would later help him in his rise to power in North Korea.
Rise to Power:
By 1945, after a series of campaigns and leadership positions, Kim Il-Sung was made the commander-in-chief of the Korean People’s Army. The newly-formed army was charged with protecting North Korea from the invading United Nations forces. In the same year, Kim Il-Sung was endorsed by the Soviet Union as the leader of North Korea. After the Korean War, Kim Il-Sung was made the first President of the DPRK by the Supreme People’s Assembly in 1948. He was originally elected for a period of five years, and he would go on to serve as head of state until his death in 1994.
Two Main Legacy:
Kim Il-Sung is credited with establishing the unique political system and ideology of North Korea, and for actively promoting the country’s relentless pursuit of self-reliance, which is known today as the Juche ideology. He is also remembered for his desire to reunify North and South Korea peacefully and through means of economic cooperation and exchanges. In December 1989, Kim Il-Sung wrote a three-point proposal titled “The denuclearization and opening of the Korean Peninsula,” which called for a mutual non-aggression pact, the suspension of nuclear tests and the withdrawal of US troops from South Korea.
Mission to Strengthen North Korea:
Kim Il-Sung’s reign was characterized by a relentless devotion to strengthening North Korea and increasing its economic and military power. He pursued a self-reliant economic model and worked to increase the nation’s industrial and agricultural output, as well as its educational system. He is credited with modernizing the infrastructure of Pyongyang and surrounding cities, and it was under his rule that North Korea was transformed from an impoverished country to a major player in the geopolitical arena.
This trend of economic advancement was furthered by the development of nuclear weapons capabilities in North Korea. Though criticized by many in the international community, the development of nuclear weapons served as a deterrent for neighboring countries, and North Korea was able to exert itself in international diplomacy.
Death of The Great Leader:
On July 8, 1994, Kim Il-Sung died from a heart attack. His death came as a shock to the entire North Korean population, who had grown accustomed to his tight grip on power. Though his son Kim Jong-Il took office shortly after, Kim Il-Sung is still remembered as the Great Leader and the founder of Juche, the cornerstone of North Korea’s ideology.
Domestic Policies of Kim Il-Sung
During his time as the leader of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung actively sought to improve the country’s economic and social conditions. His main domestic focuses were agriculture, industry, culture, and education. In the early 1950s, a number of cooperative farms were established, and land was reallocated into collective fields known as “people’s fields”. At the same time, measures were put into place to expand industry, with the aim of modernizing North Korea’s infrastructure and promoting economic self-sufficiency.
Kim Il-Sung’s government also promoted the development of culture and education. In 1956, the country established its first university and numerous liberal arts colleges. The state-run media began pushing out pro-North Korea propaganda, and there was an increased focus on teaching Juche ideology in schools. In particular, the government encouraged the study of engineering, science, and technology in order to quickly progress its industrial sector.
Kim Il-Sung also implemented a wide range of social welfare programs, such as a pension system, unemployment benefits, and housing support for the elderly. He sought to promote the welfare of North Korea’s citizens, and though his social policies have had mixed results, his efforts towards equality and public welfare remain highly respected.
Relations with South Korea and the West
Despite his strong anti-imperialistic stance and his pursuit of Korean reunification, Kim Il-Sung was largely unsuccessful in bringing the two Koreas closer together. Though both sides exchanged non-aggression pacts, North Korea’s rapidly developing nuclear arsenal and its refusal to rid itself of its totalitarian regime made the prospect of reunification increasingly grim.
Kim Il-Sung’s strained relations with the United States and other Western countries were particularly evident in his fiery rhetoric condemning American “imperialism”. His strong disapproval of the US and its foreign policy thereby led his government to pursue a policy of economic self-reliance, making North Korea one of the most isolated countries in the world.
Kim Il-Sung’s Rule in Perspective
Though his rule was marked by repression and totalitarianism, Kim Il-Sung still has a strong cult of personality among many of North Korea’s citizens, who remember him as the man who restored national pride and solidified North Korea’s independence. As a result, his death accelerated North Korea’s political and economic isolation from the rest of the world, leaving the nation largely impoverished and backward.
In Kim Il-Sung’s long reign, North Korea was transformed from a weak, poverty-stricken nation, to an autocratic one-party state with an unshakable ideological foundation. He left a legacy that will remain at the heart of North Korean politics for many years to come, and though his rule was often oppressive and tyrannical, it is still remembered fondly by many in North Korea.
North Korea After Kim Il-Sung
After Kim Il-Sung’s death in 1994, his son Kim Jong-Il took office and continued the North Korean policies he had established. Kim Jong-Il made a number of major policy changes, such as allowing access to foreign media and the loosening of travel restrictions. However, the strongest focus of his rule was the strengthening of the military and nuclear capabilities.
During Kim Jong-Il’s rule, North Korea was able to fully develop its nuclear weapons capability and as a result, the country was internationally isolated, with a perpetual sense of insecurity among its citizens. This pattern of politics and economic policy continued until Kim Jong-Un took office in 2011, when it was further tightened and resulted in further economic decline.
International Reactions to North Korea Under Kim Il-Sung
North Korea’s aggressive foreign policy, nuclear ambitions, and human rights abuses under Kim Il-Sung drew strong criticism from the international community. In particular, the United States, Russia, and other western countries heavily condemned North Korea for its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and as a result, North Korea remained heavily sanctioned until Kim Jong-Il took power.
Under Kim Il-Sung’s rule, North Korea became increasingly unpredictable and hostile, and this resulted in numerous international incidents, such as the hijacking of a South Korean airliner in 1969 and the kidnapping of Japanese citizens in 1977. North Korea was also accused of providing support to numerous terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda. As a result of these actions, the country was subject to intense scrutiny and condemnation.
Conclusion
Kim Il-Sung left a lasting legacy on North Korea, though it remains to be seen whether his policies and ideology will continue in the coming years. His efforts to promote economic self-sufficiency, nuclear deterrence, and the reunification of the two Koreas were met with mixed success, and their repercussions are still felt today. Nonetheless, Kim Il-Sung’s rule still looms large in North Korea and is remembered fondly by many of its citizens.
