When did Kim Hong-il die?
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.
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.
Death and state funeral of Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung's death resulted in nationwide mourning and a ten-day mourning period was declared by Kim Jong-il. His funeral in Pyongyang was attended by hundreds of thousands of people from all over North Korea. Kim Il-sung's body was placed in a public mausoleum at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, where his preserved and embalmed body lies under a glass coffin for viewing purposes. His head rests on a Korean-style pillow and he is covered by the flag of the Workers' Party of Korea. Newsreel video of the funeral at Pyongyang was broadcast on several networks, and now can be found on various websites. A further mourning period lasted until the third anniversary of his death in 1997.
Kim Jong-il was chairman of the funeral committee. The committee also included Defense Minister O Jin-u, and Vice President Kim Yong-ju, who was Kim Il-sung's younger brother.
Kim Hyong-gwon
Kim Hyong-gwon (; 4 November 1905 – 12 January 1936) was a Korean revolutionary. He is known for attacking a Japanese police station in Japanese-occupied Korea and subsequently dying in Seoul's Seodaemun Prison where he was serving his sentence.
Kim dynasty (North Korea)
Kim Jong-il was appointed to the party's Politburo (and its Presidium), Secretariat and the Central Military Commission at the 6th Congress in 1980, which formalized his role as heir apparent. He led their military beginning in 1990, and had a 14-year grooming period before he became North Korea's ruler. Kim Jong-il had a sister, Kim Kyung-hee, who was North Korea's first female four-star general and married to Jang Sung-taek, who was the second most powerful person in North Korea before his December 2013 execution for corruption. Kim Jong-il had four partners, and at least five children with three of them. His third son, Kim Jong-un, succeeded him. Scholar Virginie Grzelczyk wrote that the Kim Dynasty represented "one of the last bastions of totalitarianism as well as perhaps 'the first Communist Dynasty'".
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.
Paek Hak-rim
Paek died of a brain hemorrhage on at 2 PM on October 5, 2006. The following day a wreath was sent to his funeral by Kim Jong-il, and laudatory obituaries were distributed through the North Korean media.
Kim Hong-il (general)
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Kim was promoted to the rank of major-general in 1939, and lieutenant general in May 1945. After the surrender of Japan, he continued to serve in the National Revolutionary Army for a few more years, and was assigned to the , in which capacity he organised the repatriation of Koreans from Northeast China to the Korean peninsula.
Kim Sang-ok
Kim Sang-ok was born on March 15, 1920 in Tongyeong, Kyeongsangnam-do, Korea and died on October 31, 2004. Kim's sobriquet was Chojeong. During his life, Kim was repeatedly imprisoned for spreading anti-Japanese sentiments. In 1938, along with Kim Yongho and Ham Yunsu, Kim participated in the literary group that produced the magazine 'Barley', in which Kim published the poems "A Grain of Sand” (Moraeal) and "The Tea Room” (Dabang) in 1938. Following Korean Liberation, Kim taught at Masan High School, Busan Girls' High School, and Gyeongnam Girls' High School. He founded the Tongyeong Writers' Association in 1956.
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 Jong-il
In an August 2008 issue of the Japanese newsweekly "Shūkan Gendai", Waseda University professor Toshimitsu Shigemura, an authority on the Korean Peninsula, claimed that Kim Jong-il died of diabetes in late 2003 and had been replaced in public appearances by one or more stand-ins previously employed to protect him from assassination attempts. In a subsequent best-selling book, "The True Character of Kim Jong-il", Shigemura cited apparently unnamed people close to Kim's family along with Japanese and South Korean intelligence sources, claiming they confirmed Kim's diabetes took a turn for the worse early in 2000 and from then until his supposed death three and a half years later he was using a wheelchair. Shigemura moreover claimed a voiceprint analysis of Kim speaking in 2004 did not match a known earlier recording. It was also noted that Kim Jong-il did not appear in public for the Olympic torch relay in Pyongyang on 28 April 2008. The question had reportedly "baffled foreign intelligence agencies for years".
Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il
North Korean State media did not report Jong-il's death until 51 hours after it occurred, apparently due to the political jockeying and discussions that surrounded the official version of Jong-il's legacy, as well as agreeing upon the membership of the Funeral Committee of Kim Jong-il. On the morning of 19 December, all work units, schools, government agencies, and military personnel were informed of a major announcement to take place at noon. At noon, Ri Chun-hee, a Korean Central Television news anchor, clad in full black traditional Korean clothing, announced the death of Kim Jong-il. Ri had previously announced the death of Kim Il-sung in 1994. During the announcement, a portrait of a smiling, idealized image of Kim Jong-il was released, continuing the tradition of displaying official posthumous portraits of supreme leaders of North Korea after their death.
Ho Ka-i
In November 1951, Ho Ka-i was removed from his posts. This act greatly weakened the influence of Soviet Koreans, men who were sent from the USSR to help implement their power into the new Korean country, which was part of the goal of Kim Il-sung, in order to transition into power. But Kim Il-sung did not completely remove Ho Ka-i from political influence, appointing Ho Ka-i as deputy prime minister. Kim Il-sung and his followers wanted Ho Ka-i out of that position, accusing him of many dishonorable actions such as Ho Ka-i's secret desire to become dictator, his individual heroism and ignoring the needs of Korea but concerned only with his own gain. At the sixth joint plenum of the Central Committee on 4 August 1953, it was reported that Ho Ka-i had committed suicide. Official reports show that he was reported dead on 2 July 1953 at 9:30pm.
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il was the focus of an elaborate personality cult inherited from his father and founder of the DPRK, Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-il was often the centre of attention throughout ordinary life in the DPRK. On his 60th birthday (based on his official date of birth), mass celebrations occurred throughout the country on the occasion of his Hwangap. In 2010, the North Korean media reported that Kim's distinctive clothing had set worldwide fashion trends.
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.
Kim Ik-ryeol
Kim served in the military through the Korean War and beyond. In 1967, he served as the Dean of Defense at the ROK National War College. After leaving the military, Kim served as president of the Korea Auto Industries Cooperative Association from May 1979 until February 1981. He died in 1988 and was buried at the South Korean National Cemetery in December 1988.
Kim Il-sung bibliography
Kim Il-sung (15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was the leader of North Korea for 46 years, from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994.
Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il badges
Badges bearing the portrait of Kim Jong-il appeared in 1982, and many started to wear one alongside their Kim Il-sung badges. The first badge containing both Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il appeared in the 1980s, but is different from the present double badge reserved for security services cadres. Kim Jong-il badges were discontinued in the 1990s following his alleged remark: "How can I be presented on the same level as our sole 'sun', Kim Il Sung?". In 1992, in time for Kim Jong-il's 50th birthday, a pin with his face only reappeared. It, too, was unpopular due to his known reluctance to be elevated to the level of his father. Kim Jong-il badges began to be worn more widely only around the year 2000, with a renewed design, and badges featuring both Kims only recently.
Song Hye-rim
Song Hye-rim (Chosŏn'gŭl: 성혜림; 24 January 1937 18 May 2002) was a North Korean actress, best known for being the one-time favored mistress of Kim Jong-il.
Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il
On 20 December, Jong-il's embalmed body lay in state in a glass coffin at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, where his father Kim Il-sung is also interred, for an 11-day mourning period prior to the funeral. Like his father, Kim's body was covered in a red flag and surrounded by blossoms of his namesake flowers, red kimjongilia. It is expected that the body will be placed next to his father's bier following the funeral and mourning period. As solemn music played, Kim Jong-un entered the hall to view his father's bier, surrounded by military honour guards. He observed a moment of solemn silence, then circled the bier, followed by other officials.
Kim Jong-il
By the time of the Sixth Party Congress in October 1980, Kim Jong-il's control of the Party operation was complete. He was given senior posts in the Presidium, the Military Commission and the party Secretariat. According to his official biography, the WPK Central Committee had already anointed him successor to Kim Il-sung in February 1974. When he was made a member of the Seventh Supreme People's Assembly in February 1982, international observers deemed him the heir apparent of North Korea. Prior to 1980, he had no public profile and was referred to only as the "Party Centre".
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.
Pyongyang
After Kim Il-sung's death in 1994, some members of Kim Jong-il's faction proposed changing the name of Pyongyang to "Kim Il-sung City" (), but others suggested that North Korea should begin calling Seoul "Kim Il-sung City" instead and grant Pyongyang the moniker "Kim Jong-il City", and in the end neither proposal was implemented.
Kim Jong-pil
Kim Jong-pil (; January 7, 1926 – June 23, 2018) was a South Korean politician and founder of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (the KCIA, now the National Intelligence Service), who served as Prime Minister twice, from 1971–1975 during president Park Chung-hee (1961–1979) and from 1998–2000 during president Kim Dae-jung (1998–2002).
Censorship in North Korea
Kim Jong-il was made commander-in-chief and head of the military affairs commission by his father Kim Il-sung in the spring of 1994. Later that year in July, Kim Il-sung died of a heart attack and Kim Jong-il became the next member of the Kim Dynasty to rule North Korea. Kim Jong-il upheld his father's authoritarian regime and strict censorship. He was known for using military propaganda to distract North Korean citizens from their lack of freedoms and access to outside information. Despite only giving citizens access to hyper-militarized government propaganda, many cell phones and DVDs were obtained illegally under Kim Jong-il.
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."
International Kim Jong-il Prize
The International Kim Jong-il Prize () is a North Korean award named after the country's second leader, Kim Jong-il. It was created on December 24, 2012, approximately a year after his death
Kim Hong-il (general)
Kim was born on 23 September 1898 in Ryongchon County, North Pyongan Province. At age 15, shortly after the beginning of Japanese rule over Korea, he went to Fengtian (today Liaoning), China to attend a primary school there. He returned to Korea and at the age of 18 entered the in Chongju. He later became an instructor at the Gyeongsin School in Sinchon County, Hwanghae Province, but his involvement in agitation against Japanese rule as a member of the alumni association of the Osan School resulted in his imprisonment.
Kim Yong-ik
Kim was born in Cheongmu, now known as Tongyeong, a seaport, and was raised in Korea under Japanese rule. He studied English literature at Aoyama Gakuin University from 1920–1943 graduating with a PhD in English Literature. At the age of 28 he traveled to the United States to study English Literature at Florida Southern College. He then studied at the University of Kentucky at Lexington, where he earned an MA in English literature. He later studied creative writing at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. From 1957 to 1964, Kim taught in South Korean universities including Ewha Womans University University and Korea University. Kim returned to the United States in 1965 to be closer to the publishers in the United States. He taught at the University of California at Berkeley as a visiting professor from 1972–1973 and then at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1973–1990. Kim traveled to Korea for a semester in early 1995. While there, he fell ill, and subsequently died on April 11, 1995. Im Bok Kim also edited many of his works (both in English and in Korean), in spite of not being credited, although she was referenced later in an interview with the author.
Hong Song-nam
Hong died on 31 March 2009. A funeral committee chaired by Kim Yong-nam was appointed with Jo Myong-rok and 34 others as its members.
Kim Duk-koo
Kim Duk-Koo (January 8, 1959November 18, 1982) was a South Korean boxer who died following a world championship boxing match against Ray Mancini. His death sparked a number of reforms in the sport aimed to better protect the health of fighters, including reducing the number of rounds in championship bouts from 15 to 12.
Eternal leaders of North Korea
After the death of Kim Jong-il, the constitution was amended in 2012, declaring him Eternal General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission. The title of party leader was changed to "First Secretary".
Kim Hong-il (general)
In August 1948, Kim moved to South Korea to join the newly-formed Republic of Korea Army. He was assigned to be the principal of the Korea Military Academy. In 1949, he finished writing the "Outline of National Defense", one of the earliest works of the new country's Ministry of National Defense regarding military strategy.
Kim Hong-il (general)
Kim arrived in Taipei, Taiwan on 3 November 1951 to begin his service as ambassador to the Republic of China. He remained in the position until 13 June 1960. On the occasion of his departure, General presented him with the Order of the Cloud and Banner in recognition of his wartime military service to the Republic of China, as well as the second rank of the civilian Order of Brilliant Star. Kim was one of a large number of high-level diplomatic personnel who resigned in the aftermath of the April Revolution, along with ambassador to the U.S. and ambassador to Japan . In the aftermath of Park Chung-hee's May 1961 coup, Kim served a brief term as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 21 May until his resignation on 21 July. He continued to play a role in foreign affairs after his resignation, and was dispatched to Niger in December 1961 as South Korea's representative to the celebrations for Niger's fourth Republic Day.
Kim Il-chol
He was born in Pyongyang in 1933. He graduated from Mangyongdae Revolutionary School and the "Soviet Union Naval Academy". Although the North Korean army mainly depends on ground troops, Admiral Kim who was commander of the Korean People's Navy since 1982 was installed in the highest military position of the head of the Minister of the People's Armed Forces in 1998, filling a vacancy left by Choe Kwang, who died in February 1997, something that indicated that he was fully trusted by Kim Jong-il. Kim Il-chol participated as a senior delegate in the inter-Korean Defense Minister’s meeting held for the first time since the division of the Korean peninsula in September 2000.
Kim Dong-in
In the years that followed, Kim published stories, including "The Traitor” ("Banyeokja", 1946) and “Man Without a Nation” ("Manggugingi", 1947). These works, ironically, provided a sharp critique of Lee Gwang-su and other writers who collaborated with the Japanese during the occupation. On January 5, 1951, Kim died at his home in Seoul.
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).
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.
Kim Hyong-uk
Kim Hyong-uk (Hangul: 김형욱, Hanja:金炯旭, January 16, 1925 – c. October 8 1979) was a South Korean brigadier general who served as director of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency. Born in Hwanghae province, he left for the South after high school and was a classmate of future President Park Chung-hee at military academy, graduating in 1949. He was an infantry troop commander in the Korean War. He attended the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1955. As colonel, he took part in the May 16 coup in 1961, when he led a group of soldiers to take Prime Minister John M. Chang into custody. He served for two years as Minister for Home Affairs in the junta and then was director of the KCIA from March 1963 to October 1969, where he was notorious for his brutality and corruption. After refusing to support Park's bid for a third term, he was replaced as head of the KCIA by Lee Hu-rak. Reportedly, at a meeting with Park, the President asked him, "why don't you take a rest after your long service?" - and on returning to his office, he discovered it had already been cleared out. In 1971, he became a member of the powerless parliament. Kim went into exile in the United States in 1973.
Kim Sung-jae
Kim Sung-jae (Hangul: 김성재; Hanja: 金成宰; April 18, 1972 – November 20, 1995) was a South Korean singer, rapper, dancer, and model, best known as a member of Deux, an influential early K-pop and Korean hip hop group that rose to fame in the early 1990s. Sungjae died of an apparent murder in 1995 at the age of 23, although to some the exact circumstances surrounding his death are considered an unsolved mystery.
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung's death resulted in nationwide mourning and a ten-day mourning period was declared by Kim Jong-il. His funeral in Pyongyang was attended by hundreds of thousands of people who were flown into the city from all over North Korea. Kim Il-sung's body was placed in a public mausoleum at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where his preserved and embalmed body lies under a glass coffin for viewing purposes. His head rests on a traditional Korean pillow and he is covered by the flag of the Workers' Party of Korea. Newsreel video of the funeral at Pyongyang was broadcast on several networks, and can now be found on various websites.
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.
Choe Ryong-hae
Choe didn't receive particular public attention until Kim Jong-il's death in December 2011. Choe was then seen as a key asset in securing Kim Jong-un's leadership. In April 2012, he received important promotions to Vice Marshal, member of the Politburo Presidium of the WPK Central Committee, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, director of the KPA General Political Bureau and member of the National Defence Commission, largely filling the post left unoccupied by Jo Myong-rok's death and working as power broker for Kim Jong-un.
Kim Kyok-sik
After six months of service, during which he also oversaw the rising military tensions with South Korea from February to April 2013, Kim—dubbed a hardliner—was unexpectedly replaced as minister by little-known general Jang Jong-nam in May 2013, only to be reappointed Chief of the KPA General Staff. He was replaced again in August after only 3 months, possibly during a Central Military Commission meeting on August 25. Reports suggest the seizure of a North Korean arms ship in Panama as the reason behind his removal. He died in 2015 of acute respiratory failure.
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 Won-hong
Kim Won-hong rose to prominence in 2003, as he was appointed commander of the Military Security Command (the North Korean army's intelligence unit) following the death of General Won Ung-hui, who had been heading it since 1990. In April 2009, Kim was promoted to General and then migrated to the KPA General Political Bureau's Organisation Department, at the same time when Kim Jong-il reportedly put Kim Jong-un in charge of the Ministry of State Security to which the Military Security Command is affiliated. Kim was also made a member of the Party's Central Committee and Central Military Commission in September 2010 and was reported to having a role in ensuring Kim Jong-un's succession.
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 Jong-hyun (singer)
Kim Jong-hyun (April 8, 1990 – December 18, 2017), better known mononymously as Jonghyun, was a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, radio host, and author under the label SM Entertainment. He was the main vocalist of the South Korean boy band Shinee for nine years; releasing twelve albums with the group, in Korean and Japanese. He also participated in SM Entertainment's project group SM the Ballad for the release of two EP albums.
Hong Sung-mu
Hong rose to prominence after the 2011 death of Kim Jong-il and succession of Kim Jong-un, after which he has supervised various weapons tests, including the 2013 and January 2016 North Korean nuclear tests. Hong's involvement in weapons development has landed him on international sanctions lists.
Day of the Shining Star
Kim Jong-il was born in 1941 in the Soviet Union, although North Korean propaganda insists on the date 16 February 1942 and places the birth at the Mount Paektu area in Korea. His birthday became an official holiday in 1982 when he began his work in the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea. During his lifetime, he kept out of the public eye during his birthdays. In 2012, the year following his death, the holiday was renamed the Day of the Shining Star.
Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il badges
After the death of Kim Jong-il in December 2011, party officials started to wear the Kim Jong-il badge next to the Kim Il-sung one. Then, in April 2012, the double badge was reintroduced in its current form.
Hyon Yong-chol
North Korean media have stated that Hyon was born in January 1949 and joined the military in 1966. Having served as a battalion commander, he was elected a delegate to the Supreme People's Assembly in 2009. Hyon was promoted to the rank of four-star general (대장) alongside Kim Jong-un, Kim Kyong-hui, Kim Kyong-ok, Choe Ryong-hae, and Choe Pu-il in September 2010. He was on the national funeral committee in the wake of Kim Jong-il's death in December 2011. Hyon was named as a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea at the third party conference. In February 2012, Hyon received the Order of Kim Jong-il.
On the Art of the Cinema
After graduating from Kim Il-sung University in 1964, Kim Jong-il devoted himself to cultural, ideological and propaganda work at the Department of Organization and Guidance of the Central Committee of the party. Although Kim is known to have been privately interested in Hollywood films, he forbade discussion on foreign film concepts at the Aesthetic Review Meeting, an important annual film conference. After he had ordered the entire conference archive to be destroyed, Kim urged participants to be exclusively concerned with the teachings of Kim Il-sung and the party in creative work. Since then, Kim Jong-il's influence in film and literary administration grew, and he resisted liberal artistic influence from the de-Stalinizing Soviet Union. From 1968, Kim began to work on film adaptations of guerilla plays originating from the 1930s. Kim had personally guided the production of films, such as "Sea of Blood", (parts one and two, 1969), "The Fate of a Self-Defence Corps Man" (, 1970) and "The Flower Girl" (1972). Afterwards, Kim Jong-il began producing revolutionary operas. Kim had worked in the government arts administration for almost ten years by this time. He then wrote a series of essays based on speeches he had given to directors and screenwriters over the preceding five years, and published it as "On the Art of the Cinema" on April 11, 1973. It was his first major work. Through the rest of the 1970s, Kim continued to oversee cultural activities.
Kim Jong-il
On 12 January 2012, North Korea called Kim Jong-il the "eternal leader" and announced that his body would be preserved and displayed at Pyongyang's Kumsusan Memorial Palace. Officials also announced plans to install statues, portraits, and "towers to his immortality" across the country. His birthday of 16 February was declared "the greatest auspicious holiday of the nation" and was named the Day of the Shining Star.
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.
Executive Policy Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea
The Secretariat's prestige continued to decline during Kim Jong-il's rule, with five of its twelve members dying during the interregnum between the December 1993 21st Plenary Session of the 6th Central Committee and the 3rd Conference of Representatives in 2010. Of the seven remaining members, three were retired at the 3rd Conference. The four incumbents were Kim Jong-il, Kim Ki-nam (Head of the Propaganda and Agitation Department), Choe Tae-pok (Head of the International Department) and Hong Sok-syong (Head of the Finance and Planning Department). Seven new members were appointed: Choe Ryong-hae as Secretary for Military Affairs, Mun Kyong-dok as Secretary for Pyongyang Affairs (through his office as Secretary of the WPK Pyongyang City Committee), Pak To-chun as Secretary of Defense Industry, Kim Yong-il as Secretary for International Affairs (assuming Choe Tak-pok's portfolio), Kim Yang-kon as Secretary for South Korean Affairs and Head of the United Front Department, Kim Pyong-hae as Secretary for Personnel and Thae Chong-su as Secretary of General Affairs (through his office as Head of the General Affairs Department). At the 4th Conference, there were no retirements; Kim Kyong-hui (sister of Kim Jong-il) and Kwak Pom-gi were appointed as members and Kim Jong-un, through his office as First Secretary, replaced the late Kim Jong-il.
Abduction of Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee
Kim Jong-il joined the Propaganda and Agitation Department in 1966 and soon became director of the Motion Picture and Arts Division. He was a big fan of films, with a library of 15,000 at his disposal. As director he reached the public with films and operas homogenous in theme: pride in the nation and specifically in Kim Il-sung. Charles K. Armstrong writes in his book, "Tyranny of the Weak: North Korea and the World 1950-1992", that "Kim took North Korean arts in a direction that seemed specifically designed to ensure his father's favor: under his guidance, new films and operas focused as never before on the anti-Japanese struggle of Kim Il Sung and his comrades in Manchuria during the 1930's".
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.
Death and state funeral of Kim Jong-il
After the death was announced, the South Korean military was put on high alert. The South's National Security Council, worried that political jockeying in North Korea could destabilise the region, also convened for an emergency meeting. President Lee Myung-bak cancelled the rest of his Monday schedule and in a statement, declared, "[f]or the sake of the future of the Republic of Korea, peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula is more important than anything else. It should not be threatened by what has happened. We must make thorough preparations to maintain peace and stability and continue to work closely with the international community ... All citizens are asked to go about their lives without wavering so that peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula will not be hampered". No government officials from Seoul paid condolences, according to the Unification Ministry. Lee Hee Ho, the 89-year-old widow of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, and Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun led a private group of 18 South Koreans on a two-day visit, where state media showed them being greeted by Jong-un on 26 December.
Kim Ki-nam
Kim Ki-nam was the party's propaganda boss and key author of the country's political slogans during Kim Jong-il's regime. He was given a role in ensuring Kim Jong-un's succession drive and appointed to the Politburo in September 2010. He was one of the only two civilian officials who accompanied Kim Jong-il's coffin during his funeral in December 2011, the other being Choe Thae-bok. He was also given a seat in the State Affairs Commission in June 2016 when it was established. He was replaced in October 2017 by Pak Kwang-ho in all his functions at a Central Committee plenum.
Kang Kwan-il
Kang served as a member of the national mourning committee upon the death of Kim Jong Il in December 2011.
Kim Jong-il (athlete)
Kim Jong-il was born on 11 September 1962, and is a native of Jincheon. He became a member of the national track and field team in 1979, and first made his mark internationally by winning the gold medal in long jump at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi. His jump of 7.94 metres was the second best Asian Games result of all times, only behind T.C. Yohannan's winning jump of 8.07 metres in 1974. Kim beat second-placed Liu Yuhuang with a slim margin of five centimetres, and third-placed Junichi Usui with seven centimetres.
Kim Jong-chul
Kim Jong-chul (born 25 September 1981), sometimes spelled Kim Jong Chol, is a son of former North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il. His younger brother is Kim Jong-un, now the leader of North Korea. His older half-brother was Kim Jong-nam, who was assassinated in February 2017.
Kim dynasty (North Korea)
Kim Il-sung married twice and had six children. He met his first wife, Kim Jong-suk, in 1936, and she bore Kim Jong-il, Kim Man-il, and Kim Kyong-hui before dying while bearing a stillborn daughter. Kim Jong-suk was born 24 December 1917 in Hoeryong in (North) Hamgyo’ng Province. Her family and she fled Korea to Yanji, Jilin (Kirin) Province around 1922. In October 1947, Kim Jong-suk presided over the establishment of a school for war orphans in South P’yo’ngan Province, which became the Mangyo’ngdae Revolutionary School. When the school opened in west Pyongyang one year after its foundation, Kim Jong Suk also unveiled the country's first statue to Kim Il-sung. In 1949, Kim Jong-suk was once again pregnant. She continued public activities, but her health diminished. She died on 19 September 1949 due to complications from pregnancy. Kim Il-sung had three children with his second wife, Kim Song-ae: Kim Kyong-il (born 1951), Kim Pyong-il (born 1953), and Kim Yong-il (born 1955). He had two younger brothers, Kim Chol-ju and Kim Yong-ju and a sister.
Kim Hong-il
Kim Hong-il may refer to:
Kim Jong-il
It was reported that Kim Jong-il had died of a suspected heart attack on 17 December 2011 at 8:30a.m. while travelling by train to an area outside Pyongyang. It was reported in December 2012, however, that he had died "in a fit of rage" over construction faults at a crucial power plant project at Huichon in Jagang Province. He was succeeded by his youngest son Kim Jong-un, who was hailed by the Korean Central News Agency as the "Great Successor". According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), during his death a fierce snowstorm "paused" and "the sky glowed red above the sacred Mount Paektu" and the ice on a famous lake also cracked so loud that it seemed to "shake the Heavens and the Earth."
Hong Il-chon
Hong Il-chon (, born 1942) was the first wife of Kim Jong-il. She was the daughter of a soldier who died during the Korean War. In the early 1960s, Kim Il-sung, father of Kim Jong-il, introduced her to his son and handpicked her to marry him in 1966. Her only daughter is named Kim Hye-gyong, born in 1968, and is the first child of Kim Jong-il. They divorced in 1969.
Kim Chang-wan
Kim Chang-wan, along with his younger brothers Kim Chang-hoon and Kim Chang-ik, began composing music during their mid-teens, and formed the band Mui when they were college students. After Kim Chang-wan graduated in 1975 from Seoul National University (with a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Studies, major in Natural Fiber), they went professional and changed their band's name to Sanulrim (meaning "Mountain Echo"). With Kim Chang-wan as lead vocalist and guitarist, Kim Chang-hoon on rhythm guitar, bass and keyboards, and Kim Chang-ik on drums, they released their first album "What, Already?" in 1977, which became a critical and commercial success. The band's psychedelic rock/hard rock sound (reminiscent of the Sex Pistols) was music Koreans hadn't heard before, and Sanulrim revitalized the Korean music scene, which was currently devastated after several major musicians were arrested for marijuana possession in the 1970s. From 1977 to 1984, they released more than 10 albums and became one of the most influential and beloved figures in the Korean rock music scene. With the K-pop retrospective boom during the 1990s, all of their albums were reissued and a tribute album was released. They held a 30th anniversary concert in 2007 and made plans to release a 14th album. But drummer Kim Chang-ik was killed in a traffic accident in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on January 29, 2008, and Sanulrim disbanded after his death.
Jong-il Peak
Initially, the peak was named Changsu. In 1930—1940, there was the secret camp of anti-Japanese guerrillas under with the rate of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army. According to the official North Korean historiography, Kim Jong-il was born there. In 1988, the peak was renamed to Jong-il, in honour of Kim Jong-il. A “Revolutionary Historic Site” was arranged at the territory of the former camp. Three granite plates with the name of peak, carved in red letters, were constructed on the southern rock. In 1992, for the Kim Jong-il’s 50ᵗʰ anniversary, a memorial plate with congratulatory ode “To the Shining Star” by Kim Il-sung was placed near the camp.
Kumsusan Palace of the Sun
Following the death of Kim Jong-il in December 2011, his body lay in state at the palace for 10 days. Following this period, on 28 December 2011, the palace served as the start and end point for a funeral procession lasting three hours. The procession marked the first day of a two-day funeral ceremony.
Kim Hyung-chil
Kim Hyung-chil (Hangul: 김형칠, Hanja: 金亨七) (1 July 1959 - 7 December 2006 in Doha) was a South Korean horse rider. He was a silver medalist in the three-day team event at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, and was the oldest member of South Korea's equestrian team. Kim participated in the Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympics and also featured in the World Championships in equestrianism.
Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea
The post was replaced at the October 1966 2nd Conference by the General Secretary of the Central Committee; through this office, Kim Il-sung became the formal head of the party's Secretariat. After Kim Il-sung's death in 1994, the post was vacant for three years. On 8 October 1997, Kim Jong-il was appointed to the new office of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea in a joint announcement by the Central Committee (CC) and the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Workers' Party of Korea: "[The CC and the CMC] pronounce comrade Kim Jong-il as general secretary of the party, based upon the wishes of the entire People's Army, people, and the members of the party." At the 3rd Conference, the party charter was amended to require the general secretary to concurrently chair the Central Military Commission. When Kim Jong-il died the WPK left the post of General Secretary vacant at the 4th Conference, making him "Eternal General Secretary". Kim Jong-un was elected to the office of First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, which was established to "represent and lead the whole party as its head and materialize the ideas and lines of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il." At the 7th WPK Congress the office of First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea was abolished, and replaced by the office of Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea.
With the Century
In 1974, Kim announced that he would write his memoirs. According to Kim himself, before that he had spared little thought about writing his memoirs. When Kim Jong-il assumed the office of Secretary for Organizational Affairs, Kim Il-sung was allowed more time to focus on his writing. Kim also describes being encouraged to write his memoirs by literary people and foreign statesmen. "With the Century" was written in 1992 when Kim was in his 80s, two years prior to his death. Initially the memoirs were supposed to span 90 chapters in 30 volumes comprising five parts: "The Anti-Japanese Revolution", "People's Country", "Along the Road of Socialism", "The Nation's Desire", and "Turning Point of Century". However, only the first six volumes of part one, "The Anti-Japanese Revolution", were completed before Kim's death and two additional volumes were published posthumously.
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 Sun-il
Kim Sun-il (13 September 1970c. 22 June 2004) was a South Korean interpreter and Christian missionary who was kidnapped and murdered in Iraq.
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 Young-sam
He died in Seoul National University Hospital on 22 November 2015, from heart failure, at the age of 87. On 26 November 2015, a televised state funeral was held for Kim at the National Assembly lawn, during which Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn delivered the opening remarks. Later that day, Kim was buried in the Seoul National Cemetery.
Song of General Kim Jong-il
The song praises the "Eternal General Secretary", Kim Jong-il (who ruled from 1994 until 2011) as a part of his cult of personality. During the presidency of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il helped to run his father's own personality cult. At the death of his father, Kim Jong-il had his own cult. Although the "Song of General Kim Jong-il" is not as widely popular as the "Song of General Kim Il-sung" (nor was his cult as large as his father's), it is also played regularly in North Korea.
Mansu Hill Grand Monument
Following Kim Jong-il's death in 2011, a similar statue of him was erected on the north side of Kim Il-sung. At the same time, Kim Il-sung's statue was altered to portray him at a later age and smiling. The statue of Kim Jong-il initially featured a long coat but it was promptly changed to his signature parka. South Korean sources have estimated the cost of the additional statue at $10 million, with North Korean workers working overseas being ordered to donate $150 each towards the monument.
Kim Hong-nam
Kim Hong-nam (1948-01-23) was the South Korean director of the National Museum of Korea, art historian, and currently professor of Ewha Womans University.
Before she moved to Seoul(1991), she served the Asia Society, New York (1988–1991), as the curator in charge of the Rockefeller
Collection of Asian Art. Back in her native country Korea, she enjoyed the most distinguished career in Korea's museum field as director of three leading museums, Ewha Womans University Museum (1995–2001), National Folk Museum (2003–2006), and National Museum of Korea (2006–2008). She was also the first woman to hold the position of director at two national museums.
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.
Hong Jong-u
Hong Jong-u (홍종우, 洪鍾宇, 1850 – 1913) was a Korean assassin, reformer, activist and statesman during the Korean Empire. He assassinated Kim Ok-gyun in Shanghai in 1894.
Kim Koo
On June 26, 1949, Kim was assassinated by Lieutenant Ahn Doo-hee. Ahn burst in and shot him four times while he was at home, reading poetry. Ahn stated that he killed Kim because he saw him as an agent of the Soviet Union. On April 13, 1992, a confession by Ahn was published by Korean newspaper Dongah Ilbo. In the confession, Ahn claimed that the assassination had been ordered by Kim Chang-ryong, who served as the head of national security under the Rhee administration. Ahn was murdered by Park Gi-sheo (박기서; 朴琦緖), a follower of Kim's, in 1996. According to Bruce Cumings in his 1981 books, another possible motive for the assassination was Kim's alleged connection to the assassination of Song Jin-woo, a leader of the Korean Democratic Party (KDP) who had chosen to work closely with the American military government. In 2001, declassified documents revealed that Ahn had been working for the U.S. Counter-Intelligence Corps, leading to suggestions of US involvement in the assassination. However, some have questioned the evidence for these accusations.
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.
Kim Jong-nam
Kim Jong-nam was born 10 May 1971 in Pyongyang, North Korea, to Song Hye-rim, one of three women known to have had children with Kim Jong-il. Because Kim Jong-il aimed to keep his affair with Song a secret due to the disapproval of his father Kim Il-sung, he initially kept Jong-nam out of school, instead sending him to live with Song's older sister Song Hye-rang, who tutored him at home. North Korea Leadership Watch says he left North Korea to visit his grandmother in Moscow, Soviet Union, and spent his childhood at international schools in both Russia and Switzerland until returning to his home country in 1988.
Kim Jong-chul (poet)
Kim Jong-chul (18 February 1947 – 5 July 2014) was a South Korean poet. He rose to fame in 1968 when he was awarded a prize by the Hankook newspaper for his poem "Sound of a Loom". In 1970 Kim won another prize with the Seoul Daily newspaper for his poem "Drowned Dreams". He is considered one of the most significant modern Korean poets.
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 Hong-il (general)
After his release, Kim fled into exile in China in 1918. There, he was able to enter the Guizhou Military Academy thanks to an introduction by . In China he used a variety of aliases, including the Korean name Choe Se-pyeong () and the Chinese names Wang Hsiung (), Wang Yi-shu (), and Wang Fu-kao (). After his graduation in 1920 he proceeded to the Russian Far East to try to gain Russian support for the Korean independence movement, but faced numerous setbacks: first the fratricidal killings of the in 1921, and then the withdrawal of Russian support in 1922. As a result, he crossed back into Northeast China late that year. He remained there for a few years, and briefly returned to teaching to make a living, taking up a post at the established by in the village of Mingdong (Myeongdong) in Helong County, Jilin. His alias Choe Se-pyeong itself embroiled him in a minor scandal in the village: it was rumoured he wanted to court a woman there whose surname was also Choe, but romance between individuals with the same surname was not encouraged in traditional Korean society, due to the possibility of violating the prohibition on marriage between people belonging to the same "bon-gwan" (clan). As a result, he revealed his real name to several people.
North Korean leaders' trains
In December 2011, it was reported by North Korean television that Kim Jong-il died while on a train, during a domestic trip.
Ro Song-sil
Ro was a member of the national mourning committees for the deaths of Pak Song-chol in 2008, Hong Song-nam in 2009, Kim Jung-rin in 2010, and Kim Jong-il in 2011.
Kim Jong-il
His second mistress, Ko Yong-hui, was a Japanese-born ethnic Korean and a dancer. She had taken over the role of First Lady until her deathreportedly of cancerin 2004. They had two sons, Kim Jong-chul (in 1981) and Kim Jong-un, also "Jong Woon" or "Jong Woong" (in 1983). They also had a daughter, Kim Yo-jong, who was about 23 years old in 2012.
Kapsan Faction Incident
Kim Jong-il took part in investigating the faction. The task was delegated to him by Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-il was only 26 at the time and it was the first official duty given to him by his father. Six months after the purge, at an unscheduled meeting of the party, Kim Il-sung called for loyalty in the film industry that had betrayed him with "An Act of Sincerity". Kim Jong-il himself announced that he was up to the task and thus begun his influential career in film-making. Kim left the party's Organization and Guidance Department to take over PAD which had been tarnished in the incident. He gave his support for establishing a monolithic ideology centered around his father alone. Kim called a month-long conference of filmmakers to re-orient the country's film industry by cleansing it from the "poison" of the Kapsan faction. Kim also had the conspirators' war memoirs removed from a popular collection called "Reminiscences of the Anti-Japanese Guerillas".
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.
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 Hyong-uk
In 22 June 1977, he testified to the Fraser committee about the Koreagate scandal and the activities of Tongsun Park. He also claimed that the Japanese police had had foreknowledge of the kidnapping of Kim Dae-jung. Park had offered him $1 million not to testify, which Kim refused. Kim accepted $500,000 not to publish his memoirs, but reneged on the deal and published them in Japan in April 1979. He disappeared on 7 October 1979, after last being seen in a Paris nightclub. A popular rumor is that Kim was smuggled back to Seoul and personally shot by President Park in the basement of the Blue House. This version was shown in part 12 of the North Korean film series "Nation and Destiny". His memoirs were published in South Korea in 1985. In February 2005, the "Wolgan Chosun" published claims that Kim had been lured from New Jersey to Paris by a hired female entertainer and then been murdered by a French criminal syndicate in pay of the South Korean government. In May 2005, a report from the National Intelligence Service's Truth Commission concluded that Kim had been killed on the orders of Kim Jae-kyu, his successor as director of the KCIA. He was reportedly shot with a silencer pistol and his body was dumped in the woods outside Paris. Three weeks after Kim Hyong-uk's disappearance, Kim Jae-kyu assassinated President Park.
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission
Kim Jong-il served as the chairman of the National Defence Commission from 9 April 1993 until his death on 17 December 2011. His death led to another amendment to the 1972 constitution being approved on 13 April 2012 that enshrined Kim Jong-il as the eternal Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (), and allowed his son Kim Jong-un to succeed him as First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ().
O Kuk-ryol
O Kuk-ryol allegedly took part at a meeting of top leaders held immediately after Kim Jong-il's death on 17 December 2011 in order to plan funeral and succession. He was a member of the Kim Jong-il funeral committee. As a Kim loyalist, speculations named him as an possible successor of Kim Jong-un, and the regime appeared to be purging O's protégés in January 2011 to prevent him from being a threat to Jong-un. After the execution of Jang Sung-taek in December 2013, a powerful rival, O re-emerged as more of a public figure.
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.
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.
Kim Jong-un bibliography
On 15 April 2012, the centenary of the birth of North Korea's first leader Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-un made his first major public speech, entitled "Let Us March Forward Dynamically Towards Final Victory, Holding Higher the Banner of Songun". At least two works predate this speech. "To All the Service Personnel and People Who Deeply Mourned the Death of Comrade" is dated 26 March. Kim published "Let Us Brilliantly Accomplish the Revolutionary Cause of Juche, Holding Kim Jong Il in High Esteem as the Eternal General Secretary of Our Party" shortly before the 11 April , which conferred on Kim Jong-il the posthumous title "Eternal General Secretary". "The Great Kim Il Sung Is the Eternal Leader of Our Party and Our People", also from 2012 and probably ghostwritten, runs through the achievements of both Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung in a "panegyric" fashion.
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.