Kim Il-sung

Kim Il-sung (born Kim Sŏng-ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly referred to as North Korea, for 46 years, 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). He authorized the invasion of South Korea in 1950, triggering the Korean War. A ceasefire was signed on 27 July 1953.

His tenure as leader of North Korea was autocratic. Inspired by Stalinism, he established an all-pervasive cult of personality around himself. From the mid-1960s, he promoted his Juche variant of communism, which gradually replaced Marxism–Leninism as the ideology of the state.

His son Kim Jong-il became his formal successor at the 6th WPK Congress, and succeeded him in 1994. The North Korean government refers to Kim Il-sung as "The Great Leader" (위대한 수령, widaehan suryŏng)[6] and he is designated in the North Korean constitution as the country's "Eternal President". His birthday is a public holiday in North Korea and is called the "Day of the Sun".

Kim Il-Sung in Joe Steele
Kim Il-Sung was made ruler of the former Japanese colony of Chosen by Leon Trotsky's Soviet Union. Kim's Democratic People's Republic of Korea was as independent as Slovakia had been under the Nazis during World War II.