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Kim Il-sung, the former leader of North Korea, held many titles and offices during his lifetime. Despite his death in 1994, he is currently the Eternal President of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
When he is mentioned in North Korean media and publications, he is most commonly referred to as "Great Leader Comrade Kim Il-sung" (Korean: 위대한 수령 김일성동지) or "Leader" (Korean: 수령님). [1]
When his name is written, it is always emphasised by a special bold font or in a larger font size, for example: "Great Leader Comrade Kim Il-sung is the Founder of the Socialist Cause of Juche, the Founder of Socialist Korea" or "Great Leader Comrade Kim Il-sung is the Founder of the Socialist Cause of Juche, the Founder of Socialist Korea." [1]
| Chosŏn'gŭl (Hancha) | DPRK McCune–Reischauer | English | Comment | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 공화국의 영원한 주석 | Konghwagug'ŭi Yŏngwŏnhan Chusǒk | Eternal President of the Republic | Appointed at the 1st Session of the 10th Supreme People's Assembly on 5 September 1998. | [2] |
| 조선민주주의인민공화국 대원수 | Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk Taewŏnsu | Generalissimo of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea | Promoted on 13 April 1992. |
| Chosŏn'gŭl (Hancha) | DPRK McCune–Reischauer | English | Tenure | Comment | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | |||||
| 조선로동당 중앙위원회 위원 | Member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea | October 1946 – 8 July 1994 | Elected at the 1st to 6th Congress of the WPK. | ||
| 조선로동당 중앙위원회 정치위원회 위원 | Member of the Political Committee of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea | October 1946 – 1956 | |||
| 조선로동당 중앙위원회 상임위원회 위원 | Member of the Standing Committee of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea | 1956–1961 | |||
| 조선로동당 중앙위원회 정치위원회 위원장 | Chairman of the Political Committee of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea | ||||
| 조선로동당 중앙위원회 위원장 | Chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea | 30 June 1949 – 12 October 1966 | [3] | ||
| 조선로동당 중앙위원회 총비서 | Chosŏn Rodongdang Ch'ongbisŏ | General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea | 12 October 1966 – 8 July 1994 | Elected at the 14th Plenary Session of the 4th Party Central Committee, re-elected at 5th and 6th Congresses of the WPK. | [3] |
| State | |||||
| 북조선림시인민위원회 위원장 | Chairman of the Provisional People's Committee of North Korea | 8 February 1946 – August 1946 | [3] | ||
| 북조선인민위원회의 위원장 | Chairman of the North Korean People's Committee | August 1946 – September 1948 | [3] | ||
| 내각수상 | Premier of the Cabinet of the DPRK | 9 September 1948 – 28 December 1972 | [3] | ||
| 조선민주주의인민공화국 주석 | Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwagug'ŭi Chusŏk | President of the DPRK | 28 December 1972 – 8 July 1994 | In accordance with the new Socialist Constitution of the DPRK adopted at the 1st session of the 5th Supreme People's Assembly. | [3] |
| 조선민주주의인민공화국 국방위원회 위원장 | Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK | 28 December 1972 – 9 April 1993 | [3] | ||
| Army | |||||
| 조선인민군 최고사령관 | Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army | 4 July 1950 – 24 December 1991 | [4] [5] | ||
| Chosŏn'gŭl (Hancha) | DPRK McCune–Reischauer | English | Comment | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 수령님 | Suryŏngnim | Leader | Used exclusively in reference to Kim Il Sung without using his name. | |
| 경애하는 수령님 | Kyŏngaehanŭn Suryŏngnim | Respected Leader | ||
| 어버이수령님 | Ŏbŏi Suryŏngnim | Fatherly Leader | ||
| 위대한 수령님 | Widaehan Suryŏngnim | Great Leader | ||
| 위대한 수령 | Widaehan Suryŏng | Great Leader | Used exclusively for Kim Il Sung, prefixed to his name. | |
| 수령 | Suryŏng | Leader | ||
| 민족의 태양 | Minjog'ŭi T'aeyang | Sun of the Nation | [6] | |
| 주석님 | Chusŏngnim | President | More common when referring to him internationally (Chongryon, Uriminnokkiri) | [6] |
| 20세기의 태양 | Isipsegi'ǔi T'aeyang | Sun of the 20th Century | [6] | |
| 주체조선의 영원한 수령 | Chuch'e Chosŏn'ŭi Yŏngwŏnhan Suryŏng | Eternal Leader of Juche Korea | Established by a line in the preamble to the Constitution, as amended on 30 June 2016. |
The politics of North Korea takes place within the framework of the official state philosophy, Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism. Juche, which is a part of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, is the belief that only through self-reliance and a strong independent state, can true socialism be achieved.
Kim Jong Il was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea. He led North Korea from the death of his father Kim Il Sung in 1994 until his own death in 2011, when he was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong Un. Afterwards, Kim Jong Il was declared Eternal General Secretary of the WPK.
Juche, officially the Juche idea, is the state ideology of North Korea and the official ideology of the Workers' Party of Korea. North Korean sources attribute its conceptualization to Kim Il Sung, the country's founder and first leader. Juche was originally regarded as a variant of Marxism–Leninism until Kim Jong Il, Kim Il Sung's son and successor, declared it a distinct ideology in the 1970s. Kim Jong Il further developed Juche in the 1980s and 1990s by making ideological breaks from Marxism–Leninism and increasing the importance of his father's ideas.
The Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the constitution of North Korea. It was approved by the 6th Supreme People's Assembly at its first session on 27 December 1972, and has been amended and supplemented in 1998, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2019 (twice), and in 2023. It replaced the country's first constitution which was approved in 1948.
The Eternal leaders of North Korea, officially the Eternal leaders of Juche Korea, refers to the practice of granting posthumous titles to deceased leaders of North Korea. The official title was established by a line in the preamble to the Constitution, as amended on 30 June 2016, and in subsequent revisions.
A supreme leader or supreme ruler typically refers to the person among a number of leaders of a state, organization or other such group who has been given or is able to exercise the most – or complete – authority over it. In a religion, this role is usually satisfied by a person deemed to be the representative or manifestation of a deity or God on Earth. In politics, a supreme leader usually rules over an authoritarian or totalitarian government and have a cult of personality associated with them. Historic examples are Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany, Francisco Franco of Francoist Spain, Benito Mussolini of Fascist Italy and Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union.
The Workers' Party of Korea is the sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea, the WPK is the oldest active party in Korea. It also controls the Korean People's Army, North Korea's armed forces. The WPK is the largest party represented in the Supreme People's Assembly and coexists with two other legal parties making up the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea. However, these minor parties are completely subservient to the WPK and must accept the WPK's "leading role" as a condition of their existence. The WPK is banned in the Republic of Korea under the National Security Act and is sanctioned by the United Nations, the European Union, Australia, and the United States.
The supreme leader of North Korea is the de facto paramount leader of the Workers' Party of Korea, the state and the Korean People's Army. The title has not been written into the national constitution as a separate office, however the president of the State Affairs Commission is, de facto, the supreme leader of North Korea. Likewise, according to the WPK Charter, the general secretary of the WPK is the supreme leader of the Workers' Party. Formerly, under Kim Jong Il, this title was bestowed on the office of Chairman of the National Defence Commission, who was also the WPK general secretary. The first leader of the state prior to the existence of North Korea was Terenty Shtykov who served as the head of the Soviet Civil Administration, the governing authority controlled by the Soviet Union that ruled the northern half of Korea from 1945 to 1948.
Kim Yong-ju was a North Korean politician and the younger brother of Kim Il Sung, who ruled North Korea from 1948 to 1994. Under his brother's rule, Kim Yong-ju held key posts including Politburo member in the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) during the 1960s and early 1970s, but he fell out of favour in 1974 following a power struggle with Kim Jong Il. From 1998 until his death in 2021, he held the ceremonial position of Honorary Vice President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), North Korea's parliament.
The North Korean cult of personality surrounding its ruling family, the Kim family, has existed in North Korea for decades and can be found in many examples of North Korean culture. Although not acknowledged by the North Korean government, many defectors and Western visitors state there are often stiff penalties for those who criticize or do not show "proper" respect for the former leaders of the country, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, officially referred to as "eternal leaders of Korea". The personality cult began soon after Kim Il Sung took power in 1948, and was greatly expanded after his death in 1994.
The 6th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was held in the February 8 House of Culture in Pyongyang, North Korea, from 10 to 14 October 1980. The congress is the highest organ of the party, and is stipulated to be held every four years. 3,062 delegates represented the party's membership; 117 foreign delegates attended the congress, without the right to speak. The congress saw the reappointment of Kim Il Sung as WPK General Secretary and the Presidium of the Politburo established as the highest organ of the party between congresses.
Ten Principles for the Establishment of a Monolithic Ideological System are a set of ten principles and sixty-five clauses establishing standards for governance and guiding the behaviors of the people of North Korea. First published in 1974, the Ten Principles mandate absolute loyalty and obedience to the ideas of Kim Il Sung, and later his successor Kim Jong Il, establishing them as the country's supreme political authorities.
The history of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) encompasses the period from 1949 onwards.
Kim Jong Un has been the supreme leader of North Korea since the death of Kim Jong Il, the previous leader and his father.
Let Us March Forward Dynamically Towards Final Victory, Holding Higher the Banner of Songun is a speech by Kim Jong Un on 15 April 2012, given to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Kim Il Sung. It was his first major public speech after succeeding his father Kim Jong Il after his death in 2011. He had given at least one speech, Let Us Brilliantly Accomplish the Revolutionary Cause of Juche, Holding Kim Jong Il in High Esteem as the Eternal General Secretary of Our Party, to party officials the week before.
Officially, the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) – the ruling party of North Korea – is a communist party guided by Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism, a synthesis of the ideas of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. The party is committed to Juche, an ideology attributed to Kim Il Sung which promotes national independence and development through the efforts of the popular masses. Although Juche was originally presented as the Korean interpretation of Marxism–Leninism, the party now presents it as a freestanding philosophy. The WPK recognizes the ruling Kim family as the ultimate source of its political thought. The fourth party conference, held in 2012, amended the party rules to state that Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism was "the only guiding idea of the party". Under Kim Jong Il, who governed as chairman of the National Defence Commission, communism was steadily removed from party and state documents in favour of Songun, or military-first politics. The military, rather than the working class, was established as the base of political power. However, his successor Kim Jong Un reversed this position in 2021, replacing Songun with "people-first politics" as the party's political method and reasserting the party's commitment to communism.
Kim Il-dae was a North Korean politician.
