Editing Kim Il-sung (section)

== Personality ==
Kim Il-sung was a legendary guerilla fighter, battling to free Korea from Japanese occupation in the 1930s. He went on to start the Korean war, and establish North Korea as the most controlled society on earth. He became a legend as a young man when he led a group of communist guerillas in fierce battles against the Japanese, who were occupying Korea. Once he took power as North Korea’s ruler, these exploits became the basis for the [[cult of personality]] created around him.

Kim-Il sung <span>had a pteromerhanophobia (fear of flying) and he always traveled by private armored train for state visits to Russia and China.</span>
Kim consolidated his rule by purging his rivals and former comrades. But he used a carrot as well as a stick, winning support from his people by giving away millions of acres of land to poor farmers. Obsessed with who would take over when he died, Kim created a hereditary dynasty that endures to this day.

A highly polarizing political figure, North Korea was widely characterized as a totalitarian state during Kim Il-sung's rule, with widespread human rights abuses, including mass executions and [[Concentration Camp|concentration camps]] with an estimated 1.6 million people dying because of this. Despite this, he was (and still is to a certain extent) widely beloved and respected in North Korea.

He was declared "Eternal President of the Republic" one year after his death and his birthday is a national holiday in North Korea, called the "Day of the Sun."

=== Cult of personality ===
{{Quote|<br>Who is the partisan whose deeds are unsurpassed?<br>Who is the patriot whose fame shall ever last?<br>So dear to all our hearts is our General's glorious name!<br>Our own beloved Kim Il-Sung of undying fame!|Song of General Kim Il-sung}}
The personality cult surrounding Kim Il-sung is by far the most widespread among the people. While there is genuine affection for Kim Il-sung, it has been manipulated by the government for political purposes. The cult had its beginnings as early as 1949, with the appearance of the first statues of Kim Il-sung. The veneration of Kim Il-sung came into full effect following a mass purge in 1953.

In 1967, Kim Jong-il was appointed to the state propaganda and information department, where he began to focus his energy on developing the veneration of his father. It was around this time that the title ''Suryong'' (Great Leader or Supreme Leader) came into habitual usage. However, Kim Il-sung had begun calling himself "Great Leader" as early as 1949.

[[File:Kim Il-sung.jpg|thumb|245x245px|Propoganda poster featuring Kim Il-sung.|left]]Hwang Jang-yop, the highest-level North Korean defector, has said that the country is completely ruled by the sole ideology of the "Great Leader". He further said that during the De-Stalinization period in the USSR, when Stalin's cult of personality was dismantled in 1956, some North Korean students studying in the Soviet Union also began to criticize Kim Il-sung's growing personality cult and when they returned home they "were subject to intensive interrogation that lasted for months" and "Those found the least bit suspicious was killed in secret".

According to official biographies, Kim Il-sung came from a long lineage of leaders and official North Korean modern history focuses on his life and activities. He is credited with almost single-handedly defeating the Japanese at the end of the occupation of Korea (ignoring Soviet and American efforts) and with rebuilding the nation after the Korean War. Over the course of his life, he was granted titles of esteem such as "Sun", "Great Chairman", "Heavenly Leader" and many others, as well as awards like the "Double Hero Gold Medal". These titles and awards were often self-given and the practice would be repeated by his son.[[File:Paying Their Respects.jpg|thumb|229x229px|North Korean citizens paying their respects to a bronze statue of Kim Il-sung.]]The Korean Central News Agency (the official government news agency) continually reported on the titles and perceived affection granted to Kim Il-sung by world leaders including [[Mao Zedong]] of China, [[Fidel Castro]] of Cuba and Jimmy Carter of the United States.

There are over 34,000 statues of Kim Il-sung in North Korea. <span>After Jong-il's death, a bronze statue of him was built and placed next to the statue of Kim Il-sung at the </span>Mansu Hill Grand Monument<span>. When visiting these statues, both North Koreans and tourists are required to bow and are also recommended to leave flowers as a sign of respect.</span>