Kim Il-sung (1912-1994), absolute ruler of North Korea for 46 years, was the first communist head of state to establish dynastic rule, enabling his son to succeed him. Kim Il-sung was born Kim Sung-ju on April 15, 1912, the son of a middle-class...

(1912–1994), State leader of North Korea. The longest-serving head of state in the twentieth century, Kim Il Sung dominated North Korean politics for nearly fifty years, from his installation by Soviet occupying forces in fall 1945 until his...

Kim Il-sung (15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was the North Korean leader from its founding in early 1948 until his death, when he was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his...

KIM IL SUNG DOES Kim Il Sung exist? The North Koreans insist that he does. A vast museum built on a hill overlooking the capital, Pyongyang, claims to document his life from birth. Here are his gloves, his shoes, his belts, displayed...

North Korea without its "Great Leader," Kim Il Sung, has become a new kind of enigma -- but an enigma, nevertheless. The irony of his departure on the eve of negotiations with the United States over clandestine nuclear projects, and of an unprecedented summit...

_Aug. 15, 1945: Japan surrenders to end World War II in Asia and also its colonial occupation of the Korean peninsula._May 10, 1948: South Korea holds elections without the North and Syngman Rhee becomes the first president of South Korea, effectively dividing the country after...

A delegation of American officials in Pyongyang this week did not get much closer to residents than a series of stolen glimpses through the tinted windows of a black limousine.Except for staged events attended by North Korean officials and the U.S. envoys who are here...