Trivia

Leader of North Korea from 1948 to 1994. He was titled as the country's premier from 1948 to 1972, after which he became the president.

Starting the late 1970s, he developed a tumor-like growth on the back of his neck which was a calcium deposit. Its location near his brain and spinal cord made it inoperable. Because of its ugly appearance, North Korean reporters always shot and filmed Kim Il Sung from his same slight-left angle to hide the tumor, which became a difficult task as the growth reached the size of a baseball by the late 1980s. The tumor is still visible on his embalmed body.

He was born on the same day as the sinking of the RMS Titanic.

After World War II, he was installed as the leader of North Korea by Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union to serve as a puppet for Soviet interests, mainly because of his reputation as an anti-Japanese resistance leader which were almost certainly exaggerated. He continued to control the country after the Soviets cut ties under Nikita Khrushchev.

After his death, he was declared the "Eternal President" of North Korea. Even in death, he is still considered the country's head of state and subsequent leaders cannot use the title of president because it is reserved for him. This has led to some observers to refer to the country as the world's only necrocracy.

Most of his education was in Chinese, and when he was installed as the leader of North Korea, his Korean speaking ability was limited.

Father of Jong-Il Kim.

Was greatly admired by American journalist and commentator Robert Scheer, formerly of The Los Angeles Times.

Grandfather of Jong-Un Kim , Yo-Jong Kim & Jong-Nam Kim.

Great-grandfather of Han-Sol Kim.