Kim Il Sung
Supreme Leader of North Korea from 1948 to 1994
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We include updates on Juche, Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, Eternal leaders of North Korea, North Korean cult of personality, Death to America, 1990s North Korean famine, Where Are You, Dear General?, On-the-spot guidance, Day of the Sun, Yakov Novichenko, August faction incident, Battle of Pochonbo, Down-with-Imperialism Union, Baik Bong, Terenty Shtykov, Sinuiju Incident ... and more.
| 2025 |
Kim Il Sung Square
A second renovation phase was initiated, expanding improvements to the wider square complex. There are ongoing plans to transfer government facilities and museums to the new Hwasong district to expand the square's open space.
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| 2024 |
Death to America
At a Quds Day rally in Dearborn, Michigan, some crowd members chanted 'death to America', which rally organizers later condemned as 'wrongful' and 'a mistake'.
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| June 2024 |
Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il badges
First photographs showing badges depicting only Kim Jong Un appeared at the 10th plenum of the WPK Central Committee.
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| June 19 2024 | Vladimir Putin considered for the Order of Kim Il Sung (not yet confirmed) |
| May 2024 |
Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il portraits
Large portrait of Kim Jong Un displayed at the front of a training school for Workers' Party of Korea cadets, along with portraits of his predecessors in classrooms.
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| April 15 2024 |
Day of the Sun
The holiday was referred to as '4.15' or 'the April holiday' instead of 'Day of the Sun', potentially to strengthen Kim Jong Un's cult of personality while weakening Kim Il Sung's.
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| July 26 2022 |
Yakov Novichenko
The mayor of Novosibirsk placed flowers on Novichenko's grave, commemorating the 69th anniversary of the alleged North Korean victory in the Korean War, with Novichenko's daughter Tatyana present at the ceremony.
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| 2021 |
Day of the Sun
Kim Jong Un returned to Day of the Sun celebrations, visiting his grandfather's mausoleum at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun and attending a propaganda concert.
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| May 26 2021 |
With the Century
South Korean police raided the office of publisher Minjok Sarangbang, confiscating materials as evidence for allegedly violating the National Security Act through the memoirs' publication.
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| May 16 2021 |
With the Century
Seoul Western District Court rejected an injunction by conservative organizations seeking to ban the book's sales, stating that the memoirs did not directly infringe on the plaintiffs' rights.
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| April 23 2021 |
With the Century
Kyobo Book Center, South Korea's largest bookstore chain, decided to stop selling the memoirs, claiming it was to 'protect customers'.
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| 2020 |
Kim Il Sung Square
The old ceremonial grandstand on the square's south side was renovated in the first phase of improvements.
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| 2020 |
Day of the Sun
Kim Jong Un was absent from Day of the Sun celebrations, which sparked speculation about his health.
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| 2019 |
Yakov Novichenko
In an interview, one of Novichenko's daughters revealed that the statue created by Yi P'yŏn-il was located at the Mansu Hill Grand Monument.
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| 2019 |
Kumsusan Palace of the Sun
The Kumsusan Guest Palace was constructed, which was later used by Chinese leader Xi Jinping during his visit.
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| 2019 | Kim Pyong Il officially retired from his diplomatic post and returned to North Korea. |
| 2019 | Investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen published 'Surprise, Kill, Vanish', detailing CIA claims about Kim Il Sung's potentially fabricated identity as a Soviet-controlled puppet leader. |
| October 2 2019 |
Kim Il Sung Stadium
4.25 SC became the first North Korean football club to reach an AFC Cup final, beating Hanoi FC from Vietnam at Kim Il-sung Stadium in front of 5,500 spectators.
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| June 2019 |
1990s North Korean famine
After a UN report of the worst harvests in over a decade affecting 40% of the population, South Korea enacted a plan to provide US$8 million in food aid to North Korea.
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| February 8 2019 |
Death to America
Ali Khamenei clarifies 'Death to America' slogan, stating it specifically means opposition to US politicians Donald Trump, John Bolton, and Mike Pompeo, not the American people.
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| 2018 |
Yakov Novichenko
A commemorative plaque was installed at Novichenko's family home.
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| 2018 |
Kim Il Sung Square
Following the Singapore Trump-Kim summit, North Korea removed anti-American imperialism propaganda from Kim Il Sung Square and cancelled the annual 'anti-US' rally event.
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| 2018 |
North Korean cult of personality
Satellite imagery revealed the existence of at least 11,200 outside monuments and murals dedicated to the Kim leaders.
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| 2018 |
Where Are You, Dear General?
Travis Jeppesen documents the daily morning broadcast of the song, describing its sound as coming from an 'antiquated synthesizer' in his book 'See You Again in Pyongyang'.
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| November 2018 |
Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il portraits
First public display of a portrait of Kim Jong Un during a visit by Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel to Pyongyang.
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| November 4 2018 |
Death to America
Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, led a 'Death to America' chant during a solidarity trip to Iran.
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| May 9 2018 |
Death to America
Iranian Parliament burned an American flag and chanted 'Death to America' following the United States' withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
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| April 25 2018 |
Death to America
Iran announced the creation of a 'Death to America' emoji in a domestically produced messaging app.
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| 2017 |
Yakov Novichenko
Novichenko's family visited North Korea, continuing to maintain connections with the country he was associated with.
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| 2017 |
Kim Il Sung Square
North Korea held protests in Kim Il Sung Square, reportedly attended by 100,000 people. Additionally, North Korea issued special anti-US postage stamps during this year.
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| 2017 |
1990s North Korean famine
A demographic survey revealed the famine's long-term impact, showing significant population imbalance between males and females aged 20-24.
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| June 23 2017 |
Death to America
During Quds Day, protesters chanted 'Death to America' and 'Death to Israel'.
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| 2016 |
1990s North Korean famine
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child reported a steady decline in infant mortality rate since 2008.
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| 2015 | Kim Pyong Il, son of Kim Il Sung and Kim Song-ae, became ambassador to the Czech Republic. |
| March 21 2015 |
Death to America
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei backed and shouted 'Death to America' during a Nowruz (Persian New Year) public gathering.
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| 2014 |
Yakov Novichenko
A memorial stele was installed by the North Korean embassy in Novichenko's hometown to honor his memory.
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| March 29 2013 |
Death to America
During a public gathering in Pyongyang, North Korean attendees chanted 'Death to the U.S. imperialists' in support of Kim Jong Un's call to arms.
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| January 2013 |
1990s North Korean famine
Japanese Asia Press agency claimed over 10,000 people had died of famine in North and South Hwanghae provinces.
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| 2012 |
Kim Il Sung Square
Portraits of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin were removed from the buildings surrounding Kim Il Sung Square.
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| 2012 |
Day of the Sun
Marked the centenary of Kim Il Sung's birth. Kim Jong Un gave his first public speech during the celebrations. North Korea conducted a failed missile test and introduced the new KN-08 missile in a parade.
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| 2012 |
North Korean cult of personality
A 14-year-old girl drowned while attempting to save Kim family portraits during a flash flood. She was posthumously awarded the 'Kim Jong Il Youth Honor Award', and her school was renamed in her honor.
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| 2012 |
1990s North Korean famine
The World Food Programme reported plans to send food to North Korea, to be processed locally and delivered directly to citizens.
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| April 2012 |
Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il badges
Double badge featuring both Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il was reintroduced in its current form.
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| April 2012 |
1990s North Korean famine
Tokyo Shimbun reported approximately 20,000 people had starved to death in South Hwanghae Province since Kim Jong Il's death in December 2011.
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| 2011 |
Kumsusan Palace of the Sun
Kim Jong Il's body was also placed in a similar display near his father's remains after his death, continuing the memorial tradition at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun.
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| 2011 |
1990s North Korean famine
Former US President Jimmy Carter visited North Korea and reported that one-third of children were malnourished and stunted in growth due to food shortages.
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| December 2011 |
Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il badges
After Kim Jong Il's death, party officials started wearing Kim Jong Il badges next to Kim Il Sung badges.
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| August 2011 |
With the Century
South Korean Supreme Court deemed 'With the Century' as 'anti-state expression' under the National Security Law, effectively banning the book for the general public.
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| 2010 | Kim Man-sik receives the Order of Kim Il Sung |
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Kim Il Sung, Where Are You, Dear General?, Death to America, Kim Il Sung Square, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il badges, With the Century, Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, Kim Il Sung Stadium, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il portraits, Yakov Novichenko, Day of the Sun, 1990s North Korean famine, Order of Kim Il Sung & North Korean cult of personality, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.