Kim Il Sung founder of the DPRK, and its leader from 1948 to 1994.

 He was born on April 15, 1912, at Mangyongdae, Pyongyang, to a poor peasant family; he is the eldest of three sons of Kim Hyong Jik and Kang Pan Sok, his family was actively engaged for generations in the forefront of the Korean people's struggle for the liberation and the independence of the Korean nation.

 In 1926, he joined Hwasong Uisuk School in Huadian, Manchuria, where he organized the Down-with-Imperialism Union (a communist revolutionary organization) on October 17 the same year.

 Later he joined Yuwen Middle School in Jirin, Manchuria, and founded the Young Communist League of Korea on August 28, 1927.

 After serving a prison term in Jilin, from the autumn of 1929 to the spring of 1930, he formed the first party organization on July 3, 1930, at Kalun, and organized the Korean Revolutionary Army in Guyushu, Yitong County, on July 6, 1930. The Korean Revolutionary Army was the first armed organization of the Korean communists, a political and paramilitary organization formed to make preparations for the anti-Japanese armed struggle.

 He formed the Anti-Japanese People’s Guerrilla Army (later reorganized into the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army), a standing revolutionary army on April 25, 1932, and became its commander; in May 1934 he formed and guided the Party Committee of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army.

 On May 5, 1936, he founded the Association for the Restoration of the Fatherland, at the foot of Mt. Paektu the first standing anti-Japanese national united front body; a historic event constituted new turning-point in the development of the Korean revolution.

 In 1942, Kim Il Sung played a major role in the organization of a Joint Allied Forces with the Soviet Union and the Chinese with the formation of the International Allied Forces composed of some units of the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army, Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Army and the Soviet Far East Forces, while keeping the identity of the Korean army.

 He successfully led the anti-Japanese revolutionary struggle to victory and achieved national liberation in August 15, 1945 and made his triumphal return home in September that year.

He formed the Central Organizing Committee of the Communist Party of North Korea and proclaimed the founding of the Party on October 10, 1945.

 He organized the Provisional People's Committee of North Korea on February 8, 1946 and was elected chairman.

 He founded the Workers' Party of North Korea on August 28, 1946, a unified political party, by merging the Communist Party of North Korea and the New Democratic Party of Korea.

 He organized the first democratic election and established the People’s Assembly of North Korea and was elected Chairman of the People’s Committee of North Korea.

 He successfully led the anti-feudal democratic revolution, and carried out agrarian reforms, and nationalization of industries.  

 He transformed the Korean People’s Revolutionary Army into the Korean People’s Army, a regular armed force on February 1948.

 On September 9, 1948, he founded the DPRK (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and was elected unanimously Premier of the Cabinet (head of state).

 He was elected Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea at the Joint Plenary Meeting of the Central Committees of the Workers’ Parties of North and South Korea on June 30, 1949.

 He led the Fatherland Liberation War (June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953) to a brilliant victory, defending the sovereignty and the independence of the country.

 He was conferred the title of Marshal of the DPRK in February 1953.

 At the Sixth Plenary Meeting of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in August 1953, he set forth the basic line of the postwar reconstruction according to the characters and tasks of the socialist revolution.

 He put forward the Five-Year Plan for National Economic Development at the Third Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in April 1956.

 He was re-elected Chairman of the Central Committee at the 4th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea in September 1961, and he advanced the idea of  socialist industrialization by introducing modern technology in industry and agriculture.

 He successfully led the tasks of industrialization on the sixties, and modernized the army and built an integrated national defense system, therefore, achieved self-reliance in defense.

 He was elected President of the DPRK according to the amended Constitution of the DPRK adopted at the first session of the 5th Supreme People’s Assembly in December 1972.

 At the 15th Plenary Meeting of the Fifth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in December 1977 and at the First Session of the Sixth Supreme People's Assembly, he put forward the policy of making the national economy Juche-oriented, modernizing and putting it on a scientific basis, and indicated the long-term objectives of the Second Seven-Year Plan.

 He advanced the three principles of national reunification - independence, peaceful reunification and great national unity in May 1972, the plan for founding a Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo in October 1980, and the 10-Point Program of the Great Unity of the Whole Nation for the Reunification of the Country on April 1993. 

 He oriented the foreign policy of the DPRK toward strengthening friendship and unity among the developing countries and the anti-imperialist independent forces of the world with the non-aligned movement on its core and promoting the cause of global independence.

 Kim Il Sung made great contribution to developing the revolutionary idea of the working class for national liberation and man's emancipation, his works were compiled from volume 1 through volume 38 and translated into different languages

 He was awarded the title of Hero of the DPRK three times and the title of Labour Hero of the DPRK conferred the title of Generalissimo of the DPRK.

 He received over 180 top decorations from more than 70 countries and international organizations, titles of honorary citizenship of over 30 cities, honorary doctorates and professorships from renowned foreign universities.

 Kim Il Sung the benevolent father of the Korean nation died on July 8, 1994; his outstanding achievements for the Korean nation at state, party, and army levels, as well as his brilliant exploits performed in external activities, will be immortal and will shine endlessly with the progress of history.