How did Kim Hong-il die?
Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il
The death of Kim Jong-il was reported by North Korean state television news on 19 December 2011. The presenter Ri Chun-hee announced that he had died on 17 December at 8:30 am of a massive heart attack while travelling by train to an area outside Pyongyang. Reportedly, he had received medical treatment for cardiac and cerebrovascular diseases. During the trip though, he was said to have had an advanced acute myocardial infarction, complicated with a serious heart shock. However, it was reported by South Korean media in December 2012 that he had died in a fit of rage over construction faults at a crucial power plant project.
Kim Pyong-il
In December 2011, South Korean officials said Kim Pyong-il was in Poland and would not attend Kim Jong-il's funeral. Kim Pyong-il and Kim Song-ae attended the funeral of Kim Il-sung in 1994, but North Korean television broadcasts deleted their images.
List of leaders of North Korea
After the death of Kim Il-sung, his son Kim Jong-il was understood to have inherited his father's near-absolute control over the country. Although he had been his father's designated successor since at least 1991, it took him three years to fully consolidate his power. He was elected general secretary of the party in 1997, and was reelected Chairman of the National Defence Commission (NDC) in 1998. During his rule he was given a range of titles. He ruled the country until his death on 17 December 2011. He was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-un, who was revealed to be in charge of the country since his father's death by the "Rodong Sinmun" and finally publicly acknowledged as supreme leader at the military review ending Kim Jong-il's funeral on 29 December 2011.
Kim Jong-un
O Sang-hon () was a deputy security minister in the Ministry of People's Security in the government of North Korea who was reportedly killed in a political purge in 2014. According to the South Korean newspaper "The Chosun Ilbo", O was executed by flamethrower for his role in supporting Kim Jong-un's uncle Jang Song-taek.
Heroic Corps
On January 12, 1923, bombs were thrown into the Jongno Police station. On January 17, Japanese police searched Sampanong (), Kim Sang-ok's refuge. Surrounded by 20 police officers, Kim Sang-ok exchanged gunfire, killing the head of the criminal department and wounding several other police officers. He escaped the siege to hide on Namsan Mountain, disguising himself as a monk, and hid in Lee Hye-soo's house in Hyoje-dong (). On January 22, several hundred armed policemen besieged the house. By himself, Kim Sang-ok resisted the Japanese for over three hours. He killed several policemen, including executives, before committing suicide with his last bullet. Japanese police authorities did not identify Kim Sang-ok as the bomber until after he had died.
Kim Chol
Kim Chol worked as a Vice Minister in the North Korean Army. He was allegedly purged and executed in spectacular fashion for “drinking and carousing” during the period of mourning for Kim Jong-il. The report of his death was very explicit in saying he was exploded by mortar bombardment, and not shot by firing squad. However, "Foreign Policy" observed the claims probably originated from gossip and noted that stories about violent deaths of North Korean elites tend to be "exaggerated."
Kim Il (politician)
He was elected to the Presidium at the 6th WPK Congress. Kim spent much of 1982 and 1983 receiving medical treatment in Romania. He died on 9 March 1984, aged 73.
History of North Korea
Kim Il-sung died from a sudden heart attack on July 8, 1994, three weeks after the Carter visit. His son, Kim Jong-il, who had already assumed key positions in the government, succeeded as General Secretary of the Korean Workers' Party. At that time, North Korea had no secretary-general in the party nor a president. What minimal legal procedure had been established was summarily ignored. Although a new constitution appeared to end the wartime political system, it did not completely terminate the transitional military rule. Rather it legitimized and institutionalized military rule by making the National Defense Commission (NDC) the most important state organization and its chairman the highest authority. After three years of consolidating his power, Kim Jong-il became Chairman of the NDC on October 8, 1997, a position described by the NDC as the nation's "highest administrative authority", and thus North Korea's "de facto" head of state. His succession had been foreshadowed in 1980, when he was introduced to the public at the Sixth Party Congress. In 1982, Kim Jong-il had established himself as a leading theoretician with the publication of "On the Juche Idea". In 1984, he had been officially confirmed as his father's successor.
Media coverage of North Korea
Kim Chol was a Vice Minister of Defense who was allegedly purged and executed by a mortar round for "drinking and carousing" during the period of mourning for Kim Jong-il. The story, originally reported by the "Chosun Ilbo", was picked up by the world's media. However, subsequent analysis by "Foreign Policy" determined the claims most likely originated from a rumour, and "NK News" observed the story "demonstrates how a single anonymous source can generate a story in the South Korean press, which then gets escalated into all-caps certainties for news outlets such as the Daily Mail."
Vyatskoye, Khabarovsk Krai
During World War II near Vyatskoye was a camp for the Soviet 88th Brigade, which was made up of Korean and Chinese guerrillas. Kim Il-sung, future leader of North Korea, was stationed there as a Captain in the Soviet Red Army commanding a battalion, and according to some sources his family was there as well. According to those same sources his son Kim Jong-il was born there on February 16, 1941 (although the North Korean government claims Kim Jong-il was born on Paektu Mountain in Japanese Korea a year later, on February 16, 1942). Residents of the town claim that his brother Shura Kim (sometimes known as the first Kim Pyong-il) fell into a well and died, and was buried there; however other sources claim that Kim Jong-il's sibling drowned in a pool in Pyongyang in 1947.
Kim Jong-il
On 8 July 1994, Kim il-sung died at the age of 82 from a heart attack. Although Kim Jong-il had been his father's designated successor as early as 1974 and had been named commander-in-chief in 1991, it took him some time to consolidate his power.
History of the Workers' Party of Korea
In 1980, the WPK Congress elevated Kim Jong-il to senior positions and publicized his status as heir apparent. Until then, it seemed likely that Kim's successor would be either Oh Jin-wu or Prime Minister Kim Il (not related to Kim Il-sung). In fact, it seems that Kim Il-sung had always planned that his son would succeed him, and had been advancing him within the Army (the real source of power in the DPRK) since 1974. Kim Il was removed from office in 1976 and died in 1984, and Oh remained loyal to the Kim family. Well before Kim Il-sung's death in 1994, Kim Jong-il had become the day-to-day ruler of the country, and had promoted his own followers to key positions in the Army. Kim Jong-il's accession was followed by a round of purges in the WPK, in which some of his father's old followers were removed from office.
Kim Duk-koo
Minutes after the fight was over, Kim collapsed into a coma and was removed from the Caesars Palace arena on a stretcher and taken to the Desert Springs Hospital. At the hospital, he was found to have a subdural hematoma consisting of 100 cubic centimeters of blood in his skull. Emergency brain surgery was performed at the hospital to try to save him, but Kim died four days after the bout, on November 18. The neurosurgeon said it was caused by one punch. The week after, "Sports Illustrated" published a photo of the fight on its cover, under the heading "Tragedy in the Ring". The profile of the incident was heightened by the fight having been televised live by CBS in the United States.
Kim Han-sol
Han-sol's father Kim Jong-nam died in Malaysia on 13 February 2017, after two women attacked him at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and rubbed his face with VX nerve agent, a lethal chemical weapon. On 7 March 2017 a video surfaced of Han-sol that was by a group called the "Cheollima Civil Defense", and though parts of it were censored, he stated that he was with his mother and sister and hoping that it would "get better soon."
Kim Jong-chul
Kim Jong-chul was born in 1981. He is the son of Kim Jong-il and companion Ko Yong-hui, who died in 2004.
Until 2001, it was assumed that Kim Jong-il's eventual heir would be his eldest son, Kim Jong-nam whose mother was Song Hye-rim. But in May 2001, Kim Jong-nam was arrested at Narita International Airport, Japan, travelling on a forged Dominican Republic passport. He was held and then deported to the People's Republic of China. The incident caused Kim Jong-il to cancel a planned visit to China because of the embarrassment to both countries. As a result of this incident, Kim Jong-nam fell from favour.
Equestrian at the 2006 Asian Games – Team eventing
South Korean equestrian athlete Kim Hyung-Chil died after falling off his horse on the morning of December 7 during the cross country competition which took place in the rain. The accident occurred at jump number eight during the cross-country stage. After the horse, named Bundaberg Black, rolled over him, he was taken to the hospital, with his death later confirmed by the organizing committee.
Assassination of Kim Jong-nam
A resuscitation device was strapped to Kim's face, and he was then transported by stretcher through the authorized-personnel-only area of the airport to reach an ambulance. Kim died while being transferred from the airport to the Putrajaya Hospital.
Kim Hyung-chil
Television footage shows that his horse, Bundaberg Black, got caught in a fence obstacle, first throwing Kim over the obstacle, and then itself being catapulted over, crushing the front of Kim's head and his chest area when its flanks landed on him. Kim never regained consciousness and died shortly before noon local time.
Kim Ok-gyun
Kim Ok-gyun (김옥균; 金玉均; February 23, 1851 – March 28, 1894) was a reformist ("Gaehwapa", 개화파) activist during the late Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He served under the national civil service under King Gojong, and actively participated to advance Western ideas and sciences in Korea. The goal of the reform movement was to develop Korea in government, technology, and military by using foreign resources, so that Korea would become stable enough in time to withstand increasing foreign encroachment. Kim was assassinated in Shanghai, and later was given the posthumous title "Chungdal".
Kim Cheon-il
Kim Chŏn-il (; 1537 – July 27, 1593) was a Korean military leader in the 16th century. He was a Joseon dynasty official and became a "righteous army" leader during the Imjin war to repel the 1592 Japanese invasion of Korea. He was killed in the second siege of Jinju in 1593.
Kim Won-bong
In 1958, he was purged by Kim Il-Sung. There are many different accounts of Kim's death. According to one, Kim committed suicide by taking cyanide.
Kim Koo
After serving as the Police Minister, Kim became the president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in 1927. He was re-elected to the office many times by the Provisional Assembly.
In 1931 he organized a nationalist group, the Korean Patriotic Corps. One of the members, Yun Bong-gil, ambushed and assassinated the Japanese military leadership in Shanghai on April 29, 1932. The commander of the Japanese Army and Navy died instantly. Another member, Lee Bong-chang, tried to assassinate the Japanese emperor Hirohito in Tokyo on January 8 of the same year but failed.
Kim Won-yong
Kim Won-yong was also an artist. He painted traditional monochromatic ink pieces, multi-coloured ink paintings, and whimsical self-portraits. Kim took the "nom-de-plume" "Sambul" (Hanja: 三佛) to sign his paintings. A true intellectual giant on the vanguard of the rebirth of the Republic of Korea in the wake of the crippling Japanese occupation of 1910 - 1945 and the devastating war of 1950 - 1953, Sambul Kim Won-yong died of cancer on November 14, 1993.A detailed bibliography of Kim Won-yong's works is available in Sarah M. Nelson's "The Archaeology of Korea", Cambridge University Press, New York, 1993.
Equestrian at the 2006 Asian Games – Individual eventing
South Korean equestrian athlete Kim Hyung-chil died after falling off his horse on the morning of December 7 during the cross country competition which took place in the rain. The accident occurred at jump number eight during the cross-country stage. After the horse, named Bundaberg Black, rolled over him, he was taken to the hospital, with his death later confirmed by the organizing committee.
Kim Hyung-chil
He died on December 7, 2006 when he fell from his horse during the 2006 Asian Games Equestrian competition. The incident occurred on jump No. 8 during the cross country stage of the three-day event, Asian Games organizing committee spokesman Ahmed Abdulla Al Khulaifi said. After steady rain, the track condition was far from ideal and although the first 10 competitors finished the race without incident, tragedy struck for Kim, the 11th competitor of the race.
Kim Jong-nam
On 13 February 2017, Kim died after being attacked by two women with VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia while traveling from Macau under a pseudonym. His death is under investigation, but it is speculated that it was carried out at the command of the North Korean government.
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung married twice. His first wife, Kim Jong-suk (1919–1949), gave birth to two sons before her death in childbirth during the delivery of a stillborn girl. Kim Jong-il was his oldest son. The other son (Kim Man-il, or Shura Kim) of this marriage died in 1947 in a swimming accident. Kim married Kim Sung-ae in 1952, and it is believed he had three children with her: Kim Yŏng-il (not to be confused with the former Premier of North Korea of the same name), Kim Kyŏng-il and Kim Pyong-il. Kim Pyong-il was prominent in Korean politics until he became ambassador to Hungary. Since 2015 Kim Pyong-il has been ambassador to the Czech Republic. Kim was reported to have other children with women he was not married to. They included Kim Hyŏn-nam (born 1972, head of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers' Party since 2002).
Kim Kyong-hui
In recent years, Kim Kyong-hui has been rumored to be either dead or very ill. According to a report by the "Daily NK" in August 2012, she has suffered from ill health due to alcoholism. According to Paul Fischer, who wrote "A Kim-Jong-Il Production", she has suffered from this disease every so often since at least the late 1970s. This has prompted at least one rehab trip into China for treatment. At this time, it has been suggested that she has had a fatal stroke or a heart attack. According to a defector, the alleged stroke came just days after Jang's execution when Kim Kyong-hui was on the phone with Kim Jong-un discussing the killing. Some reports claim she has committed suicide. According to other reports, she underwent surgery for a brain tumour in 2013 and was left in a vegetative state. In 2015, an unnamed source, described as a high-ranking defector, claimed that Kim Jong-un had ordered Kim Kyong-hui to be poisoned. In February 2015 the South Korean National Intelligence Service stated she was still alive. In 2016, historical footage of her was aired on North Korean television, indicating that she had not been removed from official history. In 2017, the South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported that she was alive but receiving medical treatment.
Kim Il-sung
A new constitution was proclaimed in December 1972, which created an executive presidency. Kim gave up the premiership and was elected president. On 14 April 1975, North Korea discontinued most formal use of its traditional units and adopted the metric system. In 1980, he decided that his son Kim Jong-il would succeed him, and increasingly delegated the running of the government to him. The Kim family was supported by the army, due to Kim Il-sung's revolutionary record and the support of the veteran defense minister, O Chin-u. At the Sixth Party Congress in October 1980, Kim publicly designated his son as his successor. In 1986, a rumor spread that Kim had been assassinated, making the concern for Jong-il's ability to succeed his father actual. Kim dispelled the rumors, however, by making a series of public appearances. It has been argued, however, that the incident helped establish the order of succession—the first patrifilial in a Communist state—which eventually would occur upon Kim Il-Sung's death in 1994.
VX (nerve agent)
On 13 February 2017, Kim Jong-nam, half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, died after an assault in Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia. According to the authorities he was murdered by poisoning with VX which was found on his face. The authorities further reported that one of the women suspected of applying the nerve agent experienced some physical symptoms of VX-poisoning. The director of a non-proliferation research program of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey stated that VX fumes would have killed the suspected attackers even if they had been wearing gloves, suggesting that the VX was applied as two non-lethal components that would mix to form VX only on the victim's face.
Park Chung-hee
On 26 October 1979, Park was shot dead by Kim Jae-gyu, the director of the KCIA, after a banquet at a safehouse in Gungjeong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Kim also killed Park's chief bodyguard, Cha Ji-chul. Other KCIA officers then went to other parts of the building shooting dead four more presidential guards. Kim and his group were later arrested by soldiers under South Korea's Army Chief of Staff. They were tortured and later executed. It's unclear whether this was a spontaneous act of passion by an individual or part of a pre-arranged attempted coup by the intelligence service. Kim claimed that Park was an obstacle to democracy and that his act was one of patriotism. The investigation's head, Chun Doo-Hwan, rejected his claims and concluded that Kim acted to preserve his own power.
Kim Hyon-hui
She was traveling with a fake Japanese passport under the name of along with Kim Seung-il, who posed as her father and used the name . The two travelled through Europe and eventually met other North Korean agents in Belgrade who provided them with the materials to complete their mission. Once they had left the bomb behind (hidden in a radio device) in a luggage rack of KAL 858, Kim Hyon Hui and Kim Seung-il disembarked in Abu Dhabi and travelled to Bahrain. The two terrorists were apprehended in Bahrain after investigators discovered that their passports were fake. Kim Seung-il bit a cyanide pill that was hidden in a cigarette and died. Kim Hyon Hui attempted to do the same, but a Bahraini police officer snatched the cigarette out of her mouth before she could fully ingest the poison. She was hospitalized and then later interrogated.
Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il
In the past, the North Korean government has been known to encourage stories of miraculous deeds and supernatural events credited to Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. KCNA also claimed that more than five million North Koreans, more than 25% of the national population, had shown up to mourn Kim.
Epidural hematoma
On November 18, 1982, 23 year old boxer Kim Duk-koo fought Ray Mancini in a US sanctioned fight. In the 14th round Mancini hit Kim with a hard right and bounced Kim off the ropes. Kim went down hitting his head on the canvas. Referee Richard Green stopped the fight and Mancini was declared the winner by TKO. Minutes after the fight was over Kim collapsed into a coma and was taken to the Desert Springs Hospital. Emergency brain surgery was performed but Kim died four days later.
Assassination of Kim Jong-nam
As he was travelling under the pseudonym "Kim Chol", Malaysian officials did not immediately formally confirm that Kim Jong-nam was the man killed. Kim's extensive Facebook usage under this pseudonym since at least 2010, and usage of commercial email services for communications, may have made it easier for North Korean agents to seek his whereabouts and track his movements. At the time of his death, Kim's backpack contained approximately $100,000 in cash, and he was carrying four North Korean passports, all bearing the name Kim Chol.
Kim Jong-il
Kim's official wife, Kim Young-sook, was the daughter of a high-ranking military official. His father Kim Il-Sung handpicked her to marry his son. The two were estranged for some years before Kim's death. Kim had a daughter from this marriage, Kim Sul-song (born 1974).
Kim Hyung-chil
Kim's death was the first fatality in the cross-country event in Asian Games history, and the first South Korean fatality at a major international equestrian event.
Assassination of Kim Jong-nam
On 10 March, police completed the autopsy, confirming that the body belonged to Kim Jong-nam based on DNA provided by his son Kim Han-sol, and the body was handed to the Ministry of Health for further action. The Health Ministry said they would then give Kim's family two to three weeks to claim his body, with the body having been embalmed to preserve it during the period. The family, however, declined to take the body and gave the Malaysian authorities permission to manage the remains. Over objections of Kim Han-sol, the body was flown to Pyongyang on 31 March. Kim's blazer, backpack and watch were initially submitted to a police chemistry department for analysis, but subsequently returned to officials from the North Korean embassy.
Kim Yong-il
This Kim Yong-il should not be confused with another Kim Yong-il (1955–2000?), the son of the late Kim Il-sung and half-brother of Kim Jong-il, who is said to have died in Germany in 2000.
History of North Korea
Kim Il-sung led North Korea until his death in 1994. He developed a pervasive personality cult and steered the country on an independent course in accordance with the principle of "Juche" (self-reliance). However, with natural disasters and the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1991, North Korea went into a severe economic crisis. Kim Il-sung's son, Kim Jong-il, succeeded him, and was in turn succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-un. Amid international alarm, North Korea developed nuclear missiles. In 2018, Kim Jong-un made a sudden peace overture towards South Korea and the United States.
Sakamoto family murder
Following the 2017 death of Kim Jong-nam (the half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un) Nakagawa wrote a letter from prison in which he expressed his belief that Kim Jong-nam had died from VX poisoning, quantities of which Aum Shinrikyo had produced and used in the 1990s.
Ri Je-gang
Ri died due to injuries sustained in a car crash; there were different theories about the cause, including speculation that it may have been foul play. In particular, Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University called the death suspicious, pointing to the lack of traffic in North Korea, and described the death as "part of a long tradition" of politicians being killed in mysterious traffic incidents. In contrast, North Korea analyst Lee Sang-hyun of the Sejong Institute suspected a more innocent explanation, that Ri may have been driving under the influence of alcohol after returning from a party held by Kim Jong-il, and found himself unable to control his vehicle on poorly lit and poorly maintained roads.
Kim Kwang-seok
On January 6, 1996, Kim was found dead in his house around dawn with a cord around his neck. The police deemed it a suicide. However, allegations by his family members were made that it was a murder, all of which were unsubstantiated. Events and projects have been organized in commemoration of Kim Kwang-seok ever since his death. After his death, his daughter died in 2007 and her mother (Kim Kwang-seok's wife) didn't inform anyone of her death.
Kim Rak-hui
Kim was last seen in public in early March 2012 at an International Women's Day event. By the course of the year, the 5th session of the 12th SPA in April removed her from the office of Vice Premier, and the removed her from the Politburo. It was speculated that the decline of her career was due to efforts to consolidate the rule of Kim Jong-un by personnel changes. For instance, North Korea expert Alexandre Mansourov counted her among "holdovers who failed to secure Kim's trust or demonstrate their value". After North Korean media reported on 18 February 2013 that Kim Rak-hui had died, her demotions were attributed to health issues instead. Kim Jong-un sent a floral basket to her funeral. During her life, she had been awarded, in addition to Labor of Hero, the following: Order of Kim Il-sung, Order of Kim Jong-il, and Order of the National Flag (first class).
Kim Joo-hyuk
On 30 October 2017, Kim was involved in a fatal car accident that occurred around 4:30 p.m. KST in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. His car overturned and he was taken to Konkuk University Hospital where he pronounced dead two hours after arrival. According to the police and Konkuk University Medical Center, "It seems the accident occurred after he showed symptoms of a myocardial infarction. However, it was later stated by the police that the autopsy showed no signs of having a heart attack and that the cause of death was cranial fracture. Moreover, no traces of alcohol or toxins were detected in the body and the police investigation revealed no evidence of vehicle defects that could have caused the accident.
Woo In-hee
Kim Jong-il could have Woo In-hee executed for betraying him and talking about their secret relationship. Sure enough, in 1981, Woo was told she was free to go, but was instead taken to the shooting grounds just north of Pyongyang. She was tied to a post and shot as 6,000 people, including her husband Yoo Hosun, were watching. Kim nullified Woo and Yoo's marriage and forced the latter to finish "Unsung Heroes".
Charcoal-burning suicide
On 18 December 2017, Kim Jong-hyun, a member of the South Korean idol group SHINee, was found unconscious in a Gangnam residential hotel. He was later pronounced dead in the ICU. The police ultimately ruled his death a suicide through the earlier text messages sent to his sister, after the discovery of charcoal briquette remnants in a frying pan at the scene.
Kim Kyong-hui
General Kim Kyong-hui (; born 30 May 1946) is the aunt of current North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. She is the daughter of the founding North Korean leader Kim Il-sung and the sister of the late leader Kim Jong-il. She currently serves as Secretary for Organization of the Workers' Party of Korea. An important member of Kim Jong-il's inner circle of trusted friends and advisors, she was director of the WPK Light Industry Department from 1988 to 2012. Her husband was Jang Sung-taek, who was executed in December 2013 in Pyongyang, after being charged with treason and corruption.
Criticism of the United Nations
The UN General Assembly decided to hold a moment of silence in honor of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il following his death in 2011. Western diplomats criticized the decision. "An official at the Czech Republic's UN mission said the Czechs did not request a similar moment of silence for Václav Havel, the playwright-turned-dissident who died" a day after Kim.
Kim Jong-suk
Kim Jong-suk died in Pyongyang in 1949. The official story is that she died from "the hardships she had endured during the years as a guerrilla fighter." The unofficial story is that she died in childbirth while delivering a stillborn child. Her death, however, is omitted from her official biography. Some say she died from tuberculosis, and there are other stories that she was shot and bled to death.
After Kim Jong il succeeded Kim Il Sung, he began to make his mother, Kim Jong-suk, into "a revolutionary immortal." This campaign created "a holy trinity known as the ‘Three Generals.’" Instead of touting Kim Jong-suk as the quiet woman that she was, she became the heroine of the revolution. The website of the National Democratic Front of South Korea (NDFSK) says she was "a peerless heroine. . . .an anti-Japanese heroine . . . a faithful retainer who faithfully carried out General Kim Il Sung’s [Kim Il-sung] will but also a lifeguard who safeguarded the General of every dangerous movement."
Death and state funeral of Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung died on the afternoon of 8 July 1994 at age 82. North Korea's government did not report the death for more than 34 hours after it occurred. An official mourning period was declared from 8–17 July, during which the national flag was flown at half mast throughout the country, and all forms of amusement and dancing were prohibited.
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il (officially transcribed Kim Jong Il; ; ; 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was the second Supreme Leader of North Korea. He ruled from the death of his father Kim Il-sung, the first Supreme Leader of North Korea, in 1994 until his own death in 2011. He was an unelected dictator and was often accused of human rights violations.
History of North Korea
Kim Jong-il died on December 17, 2011 and was quickly succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-un. In late 2013, Kim Jong Un's uncle Jang Song-thaek was arrested and executed after a trial. According to the South Korean spy agency, Kim may have purged some 300 people after taking power. In 2014, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry accused the government of crimes against humanity.
Hwang Jang-yop
Hwang defected on the way back from a February 1997 trip to Tokyo by walking into the South Korean embassy in Beijing along with his aide Kim Duk-hong, the president of a North Korean trading firm in Beijing. Pyongyang immediately threatened retaliation, while Beijing police sealed off the South Korean embassy. Three days later, North Korean defector Ri Han-yong, the nephew of Kim Jong-il's mistress Song Hye-rim, was shot outside of his home in South Korea in Bundang, Gyeonggi-do, by unknown assailants widely suspected to be North Korean special forces agents; South Korean Prime Minister Lee Soo-sung described the attack as retaliation for Hwang's defection. A few days later, Kim Jong-il was quoted on Radio Pyongyang as saying, "Cowards, leave if you want to. We will defend the red flag of revolution to the end", a message seen as marking acceptance of Hwang's defection.
Ahn Doo-hee
Ahn Doo-hee (alternative spelling: Ahn Doo-whi) (24 March 1917 in Ryongchon County – 23 October 1996) carried out the assassination of nationalist Korean leader Kim Koo on 26 June 1949. Officially, it is maintained that Ahn Doo-hee acted alone, although some have theorized that Ahn was part of a broader conspiracy. Ahn died at the hands of a follower of Kim Koo in 1996.
Kim Sun-il
Reports and editorials in South Korea's press reflected despair at the death of the hostage Kim Sun-il in Iraq, but also defiance towards the kidnappers. South Korean TV stations interrupted their schedules when Mr Kim's body was discovered and subsequently broadcast special rolling news programmes. "Kim Sun-il killed - body identified" was the headline in the independent daily Donga Ilbo. "Kim Sun-il ends up dead" was how the popular daily JoongAng Ilbo reported it. In South Korea, thousands of people rallied against the South Korean military going to Iraq, and to express anger about Kim's death, they burned portraits of the mastermind of his killing, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
The South Korean government eventually passed a law barring passport issuance for 1–3 years to South Koreans who "damage national prestige"; the law was interpreted as an attempt to curtail Christian missionaries, especially after the 2007 South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan.
Juche
Following the death of Kim Jong-il, Kimilsungism was turned into Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism at the 4th Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea. As well as stating that the WPK was "the party of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il", Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism was made "the only guiding idea of the party". In the 4th Conference's aftermath, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stated that "the Korean people have long called the revolutionary policies ideas of the President [Kim Il-sung] and Kim Jong-il as Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism and recognized it as the guiding of the nation". Kim Jong-un, the WPK First Secretary, said that "Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism is an integral system of the idea, theory and method of "Juche" and a great revolutionary ideology representative of the "Juche" era. Guided by Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, we should conduct Party building and Party activities, so as to sustain the revolutionary character of our Party and advance the revolution and construction in line with the ideas and intentions of the President and the General."
Kim Jong-il
According to defector Hwang Jang-yop, the North Korean government system became even more centralized and autocratic during the 1980s and 1990s under Kim Jong-il than it had been under his father. In one example explained by Hwang, although Kim Il-sung required his ministers to be loyal to him, he nonetheless and frequently sought their advice during decision-making. In contrast, Kim Jong-il demanded absolute obedience and agreement from his ministers and party officials with no advice or compromise, and he viewed any slight deviation from his thinking as a sign of disloyalty. According to Hwang, Kim Jong-il personally directed even minor details of state affairs, such as the size of houses for party secretaries and the delivery of gifts to his subordinates.
By the 1980s, North Korea began to experience severe economic stagnation. Kim Il-sung's policy of "Juche" (self-reliance) cut the country off from almost all external trade, even with its traditional partners, the Soviet Union and China. South Korea accused Kim of ordering the 1983 bombing in Rangoon, Burma which killed 17 visiting South Korean officials, including four cabinet members, and another in 1987 which killed all 115 on board Korean Air Flight 858. A North Korean agent, Kim Hyon Hui, confessed to planting a bomb in the case of the second, saying the operation was ordered by Kim Jong-il personally.
January 2016 North Korean nuclear test
Ri Chun-hee, the television news anchor who announced the deaths of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, emerged from retirement to announce the H-bomb test to both the domestic and international audience.
Kim Sun-il
Kim arrived in Iraq on 15 June 2003, working for Gana General Trading Company, a South Korean company under contract to the American military. On 30 May 2004, he was kidnapped in Fallujah — about west of Baghdad — by the Islamist group Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad and held as a hostage. The group, which was allegedly led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, killed him on or about 22 June when South Korea refused to meet their demands that it cancel its plans to send 3,000 more troops to Iraq and withdraw the 660 military medics and engineers already there. (This would put South Korea behind only the United Kingdom in number of non-U.S. coalition troops in Iraq.)
Kim Won-gyun
Kim Won-gyun died on 5 April 2002 of heart failure. Kim Jong-il sent a wreath to his bier on the day following his death. Kim Jong-un paid homage to Kim Won-gyun by organizing a concern on the centenary of his birth in 2017.
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il's funeral took place on 28 December in Pyongyang, with a mourning period lasting until the following day. South Korea's military was immediately put on alert after the announcement and its National Security Council convened for an emergency meeting, out of concern that political jockeying in North Korea could destabilise the region. Asian stock markets fell soon after the announcement, due to similar concerns.
Kim Chang-ryong
After the Surrender of Japan and independence of Korea in 1945, Kim came back to his hometown, Hamheung, finding it to be under Soviet occupation. Wanted by the Communists for being a former Japanese soldier, he had to keep a low profile. Around the end of 1945, he apparently visited friend and former assistant Kim Yun-Won (金允元) in Chorwon, who sold him out, and he was sentenced to death for "anti-Korean deeds," arresting anti-Japanese combatants. -s Kim was being transferred to the place of his execution, however, he managed to jump off the truck transporting him and escaped to a relative's house. Recovering from his wounds, he waited for the right time to flee to American-controlled South Korea but was once more betrayed and captured by the Communists, who sentenced him to death a second time. However, Kim again managed to break loose by knocking out, with a chair, the soldier guarding him, and he escaped south.
Kim Seong-il
Kim Sŏng-il (; 1538–1593) was a Joseon Dynasty politician and ambassador. He was a member of the Eastern faction in the Joseon court. He served as envoy to Japan in a Tongsinsa, along with Ho Song and Hwang Yun-gil in 1590, and met with the Japanese regent, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He died of disease during the Imjin War.
Kim Hong-il
Kim Hong-il may refer to:
Kim Jong-seo (general)
Suyang surrounded himself with trusted allies, including his famous adviser, Han Myung-hoi. Han advised Suyang to take over the government in a coup, and in October 1453, he killed Kim Jongseo and his faction, thereby taking the reins of power into his own hands. After the coup he arrested his own brother, Anpyong, first sending him into exile, then putting him to death.
Kim Jong-il
A former CIA official said earlier reports of a health crisis were likely accurate. North Korean media remained silent on the issue. An Associated Press report said analysts believed Kim had been supporting moderates in the foreign ministry, while North Korea's powerful military was against so-called "Six-Party" negotiations with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States aimed towards ridding North Korea of nuclear weapons. Some United States officials noted that soon after rumours about Kim's health were publicized a month before, North Korea had taken a "tougher line in nuclear negotiations". In late August North Korea's official news agency reported the government would "consider soon a step to restore the nuclear facilities in Nyongbyon to their original state as strongly requested by its relevant institutions". Analysts said this meant "the military may have taken the upper hand and that Kim might no longer be wielding absolute authority". By 10 September, there were conflicting reports. Unidentified South Korean government officials said Kim had undergone surgery after suffering a minor stroke and had apparently "intended to attend 9 September event in the afternoon but decided not to because of the aftermath of the surgery". High-ranking North Korean official Kim Yong-nam said, "While we wanted to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the country with general secretary Kim Jong-Il, we celebrated on our own". Song Il-Ho, North Korea's ambassador said, "We see such reports as not only worthless, but rather as a conspiracy plot". Seoul's "Chosun Ilbo" newspaper reported that "the South Korean embassy in Beijing had received an intelligence report that Kim collapsed on 22 August". "The New York Times" reported on 9 September that Kim was "very ill and most likely suffered a stroke a few weeks ago, but United States intelligence authorities do not think his death is imminent". The BBC noted that the North Korean government denied these reports, stating that Kim's health problems were "not serious enough to threaten his life", although they did confirm that he had suffered a stroke on 15 August.
Japan's Kyodo News agency reported on 14 September, that "Kim collapsed on 14 August due to stroke or a cerebral hemorrhage, and that Beijing dispatched five military doctors at the request of Pyongyang. Kim will require a long period of rest and rehabilitation before he fully recovers and has complete command of his limbs again, as with typical stroke victims". Japan's "Mainichi Shimbun" claimed Kim had occasionally lost consciousness since April. Japan's "Tokyo Shimbun" on 15 September, added that Kim was staying at the Bongwha State Guest House. He was apparently conscious "but he needs some time to recuperate from the recent stroke, with some parts of his hands and feet paralyzed". It cited Chinese sources which claimed that one cause for the stroke could have been stress brought about by the United States delay to remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Kim Jong-il
After Ko's death, Kim lived with Kim Ok, his third mistress, who had served as his personal secretary since the 1980s. She "virtually act[ed] as North Korea's first lady" and frequently accompanied Kim on his visits to military bases and in meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries. She travelled with Kim Jong-il on a secretive trip to China in January 2006, where she was received by Chinese officials as Kim's wife.
Kim Thayil
On May 18, 2017, Chris Cornell was found dead in his hotel room, cancelling the rest of their tour and the band was disbanded again in 2018, with the exception of their one-off show of Tribute to Chris Cornell in January 2019.
Saikin-rettō
A mysterious virus with the 100% mortality rate spreads across Japan. Everyone infected with this virus dies without exception, screaming and their heads exploding. After the explosion, their faces turn into a smiling face which strongly resembles Kim Jong-il.
Kim Ji-hoon (singer)
On December 12, 2013, around 1 p.m. (KST), Kim was found dead, after hanging himself by the neck on a t-shirt wrapped around a shower stall, in his hotel room, by a younger acquaintance who had plans with him to eat lunch together that day.
Workers' Party of Korea
With the death of O Jin-u on 25 February 1995, Kim Jong-il became the sole remaining living member of the Presidium (the highest body of the WPK when the Politburo and the Central Committee are not in session). While no member list of the WPK Central Military Commission (CMC, the highest party organ on military affairs) was published from 1993 to 2010, there were clear signs of movement in the military hierarchy during 1995. For the WPK's 50th anniversary, Kim Jong-il initiated a reshuffling of the CMC (and the military leadership in general) to appease the old guard and younger officials. He did not reshuffle the WPK Central Committee or the government, however, and during the 1990s the changes to its membership were caused mostly by its members dying of natural causes. Beginning in 1995, Kim Jong-il favored the military over the WPK and the state. Problems began to mount as an economic crisis, coupled with a famine in which at least half a million people died, weakened his control of the country. Instead of recommending structural reforms Kim began to criticize the WPK's lack of control over the economy, lambasting its local and provincial branches for their inability to implement central-level instructions. At a speech celebrating the 50th anniversary of Kim Il-sung University, he said: "The reason why people are loyal to the instructions of the Central Committee is not because of party organizations and workers, but because of my authority." Kim Jong-il said that his father had told him to avoid economics, claiming that it was better left to experts. After this speech, the WPK's responsibility to control the economy was given to the Administrative Council (the central government). By late 1996 Kim Jong-il concluded that neither the WPK nor the central government could run the country, and began shifting control to the military.
On 8 July 1997, the three-year mourning period for Kim Il-sung ended. Later that year, on 8 October, Kim Jong-il was appointed to the newly established office of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea. There was considerable discussion by foreign experts of why Kim Jong-il was appointed General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, instead of succeeding his father as General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. In a clear breach of the WPK charter, Kim Jong-il was appointed WPK General Secretary in a joint announcement by the 6th Central Committee and the CMC rather than elected by a plenum of the Central Committee. Although it was believed that Kim Jong-il would call a congress shortly after his appointment (to elect a new WPK leadership), he did not. The WPK would not be revitalized organizationally until the 3rd Conference in 2010. Until then, Kim Jong-il ruled as an autocrat; only in WPK institutions considered important were new members and leaders appointed to take the place of dying officials. The 10th Supreme People's Assembly convened on 5 September 1998, amended the North Korean constitution. The amended constitution made the National Defense Commission (NDC), previously responsible for supervising the military, the highest state organ. Although the new constitution gave the cabinet and the NDC more independence from WPK officials, it did not weaken the party. Kim Jong-il remained WPK General Secretary, controlling the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD) and other institutions. While the central WPK leadership composition was not renewed at a single stroke until 2010, the WPK retained its important role as a mass organization.
Kim Jong-nam
Kim was exiled from North Korea 2003, becoming an occasional critic of his family's regime. His younger paternal half-brother, Kim Jong-un, was named heir apparent in September 2010. Kim died on 13 February 2017 in Malaysia as the result of what the US Department of State eventually determined was an assassination conducted by North Korea using VX nerve agent.
Kim Jong-il
Kim's first wife, Hong Il-chon, was the daughter of a martyr who died during the Korean War. She was handpicked by his father and married to him in 1966. They have a girl called Kim Hye-kyung, who was born in 1968. Soon, they divorced in 1969.
Kim Kyung-roul
Kim lived in Ilsan, where he died on 22 February 2015, after falling out of his apartment window. He was 34.
Kim Hyong-jik
Little is known about Kim. Born on 10 July 1894, in the small village of Mangyongdae, situated atop a peak called Mungyungbong ("All-Seeing Peak") just 12 kilometers downstream on the Diadong River from Pyongyang, Kim was the son of Kim Bo-hyon (金輔鉉, 1871–1955). Kim attended Sungshil School, which was run by American missionaries, and became a teacher and later an herbal pharmacist. He died as a result of numerous medical problems, including third-degree frostbite.
Kim Jong-il
Kim's first mistress, Song Hye-rim, was a star of North Korean films. She was already married to another man and with a child when they met. Kim is reported to have forced her husband to divorce her. This relationship, started in 1970, was not officially recognized. They had one son, Kim Jong-nam (1971–2017), who was Kim Jong-il's eldest son. Kim kept both the relationship and the child a secret (even from his father) until he ascended to power in 1994. However, after years of estrangement, Song is believed to have died in Moscow in the Central Clinical Hospital in 2002.
Anocha Panjoy
With the death of Kim Jong-il in December 2011, people were hopeful that progress could be made in negotiations between the countries.
North Korea denies that Panjoy was abducted by its agents or that she was ever in the country. North Korea also denies the abduction of the nationals of any country other than Japan.
Media coverage of North Korea
On 29 August 2013, "The Chosun Ilbo" reported that North Korean singer Hyon Song-wol was executed by firing squad, together with eleven other performers, including members of the Unhasu Orchestra and Wangjaesan Light Music Band, on the orders of North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un. The story was reported worldwide. It was claimed she was Kim Jong-un's ex-girlfriend, and that she and the others had made pornographic videos. North Korea's KCNA denied claims that the singer was executed, and a Japanese news magazine reported that she was seen subsequently. On 16 May 2014, Hyon appeared on North Korean television participating in the National Convention of Artists, disproving the rumors.
Hong Jong-u
In 1893, Hong traveled to Japan where he decided to assassinate Kim Okgyun and Pak Yeong-hyo, two reform-minded Koreans. In 1894, he shot and killed Kim Okgyun aboard ship en route to Shanghai. He later returned to Korea where he was appointed to high office. With the growing influence of Japan over Korean affairs, the anti-Japan Hong Jong-u resigned his official position. He died in 1913.
Kim Ok-gyun
Following the failure of the Gapsin Coup, Kim lived in fear of assassination. However, when invited to meet with Li Hongzhang (李鴻章) in Shanghai, he felt that he could not refuse. Before departing Kim gave his personal diaries to Koyama, one of his close Japanese friends, in case something should happen to him. Hong Jong-u who had travelled to Japan in 1893 to assassinate Kim Okgyun and Pak Yung-hio (another reform-minded Korean) learned of the voyage and managed to obtain passage to China on the same vessel. While en route to Shanghai he killed Kim Okgyun with a pistol. Hong later returned to Korea where he was appointed to high office. Kim’s body was turned over to a Chinese warship, where it was dismembered. Parts of the body were put on public display in several towns in Korea as a traditional humiliation and punishment for treason. In Japan, there was an official protest to the Chinese government over the treatment of Kim’s remains. Fukuzawa Yukichi led a memorial service in Japan in Kim’s honor, and erected a gravestone for him at the Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo. The assassination of Kim Okgyun was cited by the Japanese as one of the events leading to the First Sino-Japanese War.
Kim Hong-jip
Kim Hong-jip's cabinet was a pro-Japanese cabinet. They implemented "the ordinance prohibiting topknots" which was a radical policy, leading many rebellions in Joseon. In 1896, Russophilia became more powerful. This caused 'Korea royal refuge at the Russian legation'. As a result, Hong-jip's cabinet collapsed and he was killed by the public. Angry subjects trampled him to death. The Joseon government got his corpse and cut off his head, then exposed it in Gwanghwamun. His corpse was divided into 8 parts and one was sent to each region of Joseon. As Hong-jip's wife was afraid of the guilt-by-association system, she killed their sons and killed herself. Because Hong-jip's daughters were married before, they were able to avoid punishment.
Shin Sang-ok
From 1983 on, Shin directed seven films, with Kim Jong-il acting as an executive producer. The last and best-known of these films is "Pulgasari", a giant-monster film similar to the Japanese "Godzilla". In 1986, eight years after his kidnapping, Shin and his wife escaped while in Vienna for a film festival. They managed to obtain political asylum from the US embassy in Vienna and Kim Jong-il became convinced that the couple had been kidnapped by the Americans. Shin and his wife lived covertly for two years in Reston, Virginia, under American protection, and authorities debriefed the couple about Kim Jong-il and their experiences in North Korea.
Jang Song-thaek
Although the precise extent of Jang Song-thaek's power and position during his life cannot be confirmed, in 2008 South Korean government officials and academic North Korea experts suggested that he had taken on "de facto" leadership over North Korea while Kim Jong-il's health was declining and when Kim subsequently died. Jang was vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission, a position considered second only to that of the Supreme Leader. He is believed to have been promoted to four-star general around the time of Kim Jong-il's death as his first appearance in uniform was while visiting Kim lying in state. Jang was considered a "key policy adviser" to Kim Jong-un.
Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il
The funeral itself occurred on 28 December. The , 3-hour funeral procession was covered in snow (which local newscasters described as "heaven's tears") as soldiers beat their chests and called out "Father, Father." A Lincoln Continental limousine carried a giant portrait of Jong-il. Jong-il's casket, draped by the Korean Workers' Party flag, was carried on top of another Lincoln Continental hearse while Kim Jong-un and his uncle Jang Sung-taek were immediately behind. Army chief of the general staff Ri Yong-ho and defence minister Vice-Marshal Kim Yong-chun walked along the opposite side of the vehicle during the procession segments in the Kumsusan Memorial Palace. The procession returned to Kumsusan Palace where Jong-un stood flanked by the top party and military officials who are expected to be his inner circle of advisers as rifles fired 21 times, then saluted again as goose-stepping soldiers carrying flags and rifles marched by the palace square. Reportedly, Jong-il's body will be embalmed and put on display indefinitely in the manner of Kim Il-sung and other Communist leaders such as Lenin, Mao, and Ho Chi Minh.
Huichon
A South Korean news source, "The Chosun Ilbo", also reported that when Kim Jong-il learned of the problems, he flew into a fit of rage, ordered severe punishments for those involved and subsequently died from a heart attack as a result.
Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il
However, it was reported in December 2012 by South Korean media that he had died in a fit of rage over construction faults in a crucial power plant project at Huichon in Jagang Province.
Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il
Kim Young-nam told mourners that "The great heart of comrade Kim Jong-il has ceased to beat... such an unexpected and early departure from us is the biggest and the most unimaginable loss to our party and the revolution," and that North Korea would "transform the sorrow into strength and courage 1,000 times greater under the leadership of comrade Kim Jong-un."
Kim Hyon-hui
For her role in the bombing of KAL 858, Kim was sentenced to death in March 1989. However, South Korean president Roh Tae-woo pardoned her later that year, saying that Kim was merely a brainwashed victim of the real culprit, the North Korean government. She later wrote an autobiography entitled "The Tears of My Soul" and donated the proceeds to the families of the victims of Flight 858.
Kim Song-ae
There are rumours that she was killed in a car accident in Beijing in June 2001. Other reports claimed she was still alive as of July 2011, though in poor health, and that Kim Pyong-il returned to Pyongyang from his posting in Poland to visit her. She was later reported to have died in 2014, a date which was confirmed by the Ministry of Unification in December 2018.
Kim Jae-gyu
After killing President Park, Kim asked Chief Presidential Secretary Kim to secure the safe house and ran to the nearby KCIA building where Army Chief of Staff Jeong Seung-hwa was waiting. Jeong heard the shootings and was discussing them with KCIA Deputy Director Kim Jeong-seop when Director Kim came in breathless to tell them that an emergency situation had occurred. In the car, Kim notified Jeong that President Park had died, but without explaining how he died. Kim hoped that Jeong and Chief Presidential Secretary Kim would support him in the coup as both were appointed to their position on his recommendation, and Chief Presidential Secretary Kim was especially close with him. The car initially headed to KCIA Headquarters in Namsan district but eventually went to Army Headquarters in Yongsan district since the Army would have to be involved in declaring emergency martial law. Many historians believe that Kim made a critical mistake in not going to KCIA HQ where he would be in control. However, his failure to gain Jeong's support sealed the fate of the conspirators.
Kim Jae-gyu
Meanwhile, Chief Presidential Secretary Kim took President Park's body to the Army hospital and ordered doctors to save him at all costs (without revealing Park's identity), and went to Prime Minister Choi Kyu-ha to reveal what happened that night. When Chief of Staff Jeong learned of what happened from Chief Presidential Secretary Kim, he ordered Major General Chun Doo-hwan, commander of Security Command who later became the president of South Korea through a military coup, to arrest Director Kim and investigate the incident. Director Kim was arrested after he was lured to a secluded area outside Army HQ on the pretext of meeting with Army Chief of Staff. Eventually, everyone involved in the assassination was arrested, tortured, and later executed. Kim himself was hanged on May 24. In the process, Chun Doo-hwan emerged as a new political force by investigating and subjugating KCIA, the most feared government agency until then, under his Security Command and later by arresting the chief martial law administrator Jeong Seung-hwa (and Chief Presidential Secretary Kim) on suspicion of conspiring with Director Kim. Both were eventually released after Chun Doo-hwan seized power with a military coup in May 1980 (both were on death row at one time).
Kim Chang-ryong
In the early morning of January 30, 1956, Kim left home in his Willys Jeep and noticed a car blocking the way. As he shouted at the visitors to get off the road, three shots were fired. Hit in the head, Kim aged 36, was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Kim Jong-gak
After Kim Jong-il's death, on 15 February 2012, he was promoted to Vice Marshal; on 19 February, he wrote an article for "Rodong Sinmun" swearing an oath of "unwavering faith" to Supreme Commander Kim Jong-un. On 10 April, in the wake of the controversial Kwangmyongsong-3 launch, he was appointed Minister of People's Armed Forces (defence minister), replacing Kim Yong-Chun. He was replaced by Kim Kyok-sik on 29 November 2012. Despite the latter's appointment, which was not reported by state media and confirmed only on 28 December as he was listed as defence minister at a reception for foreign military attache corps, Kim Jong-gak remained a member of the top leadership until 31 March 2013, when he was removed from the WPK Politburo and the National Defence Commission. He then held a minor position under the Kim Il Sung Military University as dean of its graduate school.
Death and state funeral of Kim Il-sung
On the late morning of 8 July 1994, Kim Il-sung collapsed from a sudden heart attack. After the heart attack, his son Kim Jong-il ordered the team of doctors who were constantly at his father's side to leave, and arranged for the country's best doctors to be flown in from Pyongyang. After several hours, the doctors from Pyongyang arrived, and despite their efforts to save him, Kim Il-sung died. His death was declared thirty hours later, respecting the traditional Confucian mourning period.
Choe Ik-gyu
Choe was often seen accompanying Kim Jong-il on formal occasions until the latter's death in 2011. When traveling outside North Korea, Choe uses the name Choe Sang-geun. Such was the case for instance when he visited Seoul in South Korea in 2000 in the capacity of the counsel to the National Orchestra of North Korea.
Kim Pyong-il
Kim Pyong-il continues to be considered a threat to the North Korean government due to his resemblance to his father Kim Il-sung. Reports claim he is under watch by both North and South Korean intelligence. However, he has kept a low profile, in contrast to his half-nephew Kim Jong-nam who gave frequent interviews with Japanese media, before he was assassinated in 2017.
First Sino-Japanese War
On March 28, 1894, a pro-Japanese Korean revolutionary, Kim Ok-gyun, was assassinated in Shanghai. Kim had fled to Japan after his involvement in the 1884 coup and the Japanese had turned down Korean demands that he be extradited. Many Japanese activists saw in him potential for a future role in Korean modernization, however, Meiji government leaders were more cautious; after some reservations they exiled him to the Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands. Ultimately, he was lured to Shanghai, where he was killed by a Korean, Hong Jong-u, in his room at a Japanese inn in the international settlement. After some hesitation, the British authorities in Shanghai concluded that rules against extradition did not apply to a corpse and turned his body over to Chinese authorities. His body was then taken aboard a Chinese warship and sent back to Korea, where it was cut up, quartered and displayed in all Korean provinces as a warning to other purported rebels and traitors.
Ri Chun-hee
When she made the official announcement of Kim Il-sung's death in 1994, Ri was visibly crying during the broadcast. Likewise, when she announced Kim Jong-il's death in 2011, she was seen holding back tears. Ri usually appears wearing either a pink Western-style suit or in a traditional Korean "Joseon-ot", She is nicknamed the "Pink Lady".
Kim Hong-il (general)
Kim died at his home in Hyochang-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul on 8 August 1980. He was survived by his wife Min Gyeong-ran and three sons. Although a public funeral had been planned, in the end Kim's family decided to hold a private funeral at their home, followed by a procession to the Seoul National Cemetery where he was buried. Pastor Kyung-Chik Han of Young Nak Presbyterian Church, the church of which Kim had been a member, presided over the funeral. Roughly 1,500 people visited the family home to pay their respects, including Chun Doo-hwan, United States Forces Korea commander John A. Wickham Jr., and fellow independence activist .
Kim Sun-il
Jama'at al-Tawhid wa'l Jihad had initially set a 21 June deadline in a videotape showing Kim pleading for his life. However, on 22 June, after initial reports that the militants had given their hostage more time, Al Jazeera television reported that they had received a videotape footage of Kim being decapitated by five men, like hostages Nick Berg and Eugene Armstrong in Iraq, Paul Johnson in Saudi Arabia, and Daniel Pearl in Pakistan. The report was subsequently confirmed by the South Korean government. In the murder video, Kim is fitted with an orange jumpsuit and blindfolded, one of the captors reads a statement and then another captor takes out a knife and decapitates him. The statement said: "Korean citizens, you were warned, your hands were the ones who killed him. Enough lies, enough cheatings. Your soldiers are here not for the sake of Iraqis, but for cursed America".