List of leaders of North Korea
At the end of World War II, Soviet Union occupied the northern half of Korea and in 1946 established the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea chaired by Kim Il-sung. On 9 September 1948, the DPRK was proclaimed, also led by Kim Il-sung.
National Liberation Day of Korea
After the Korean Peninsula was liberated by the Allies in 1945, independent Korean governments were created three years later, on August 15, 1948, when the pro-U.S. Syngman Rhee was elected first President of South Korea and pro-Soviet Kim Il-sung was made first Leader of North Korea. "Gwangbokjeol" was officially designated a public holiday on October 1, 1949 in South Korea and is known as "Chogukhaebangŭi nal" (; literally "Liberation of Fatherland Day") in North Korea.