Kim Il Sung Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Early years === [[File:Kim Il-sung official photograph, 1 October 1948.jpg|thumb|Kim's official portrait in 1948]] Despite the [[United Nations]]' plans to conduct nationwide elections in Korea, on 15 August 1948, the [[United States Army Military Government in Korea|US-occupied south]] proclaimed the [[First Republic of Korea|Republic of Korea]], which claimed sovereignty over all of Korea. In response, the Soviets held elections of their own in [[Soviet Civil Administration|their northern occupation zone]] on [[1948 North Korean parliamentary election|25 August 1948]] for a [[Supreme People's Assembly]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Malkasian | first=Carter | title=The Korean War 1950β1953 | location=Chicago | publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn | year=2001 | isbn=978-1-57958-364-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZGoA65bSFpQC&pg=PA13 | page=13}}</ref> Voters were presented with a single list from the Communist-dominated [[Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland]].{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} The [[Democratic People's Republic of Korea]] was proclaimed on 9 September 1948, with Kim as the Soviet-designated premier. On 12 October, the Soviet Union recognized Kim's government as the sovereign government of the entire peninsula, including the south.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncnk.org/resources/briefing-papers/all-briefing-papers/dprk-diplomatic-relations|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419051757/http://www.ncnk.org/resources/briefing-papers/all-briefing-papers/dprk-diplomatic-relations|url-status=dead|title=DPRK Diplomatic Relations|date=11 April 2017|archive-date=19 April 2014|website=NCNK}}</ref> The Communist Party merged with the New People's Party of Korea to form the Workers' Party of North Korea, with Kim as vice-chairman. In 1949, the Workers' Party of North Korea merged with its [[Workers' Party of South Korea|southern counterpart]] to become the [[Workers' Party of Korea]] (WPK) with Kim as [[Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea|party chairman]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/event/nkorea_nuclear/general_03c.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080305052724/http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/event/nkorea_nuclear/general_03c.htm|url-status=dead|title=North Korea A to Z|publisher=KBS World|archive-date=5 March 2008}}</ref> By 1949, Kim and the communists had consolidated their rule in North Korea.<ref name=Rogue/>{{rp|53}} Around this time, Kim began promoting an intense [[Kim Il-sung's cult of personality|personality cult]]. The first of many statues of him appeared, and he began calling himself "Great Leader".<ref name=Rogue/>{{rp|53}} In February 1946, Kim Il Sung decided to introduce a number of reforms. Over 50% of the [[arable land]] was redistributed, an 8-hour work day was proclaimed and all [[heavy industry]] was to be [[nationalized]].<ref name=Suh1988/>{{rp|68}} There were improvements in the health of the population after he [[Nationalized health care|nationalized healthcare]] and made it available to all citizens.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1FaXAgAAQBAJ&q=kim+il+sung+health+care&pg=PA104|title=Kim Jong Il's North Korea|isbn=9781467703550|last1=Behnke|first1=Alison|date=1 August 2012|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books |access-date=18 October 2020|archive-date=14 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014020448/https://books.google.com/books?id=1FaXAgAAQBAJ&q=kim+il+sung+health+care&pg=PA104|url-status=live}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page