Kim Il (politician) explained

Kim Il
Native Name:김일
Native Name Lang:ko
Office:First Vice President of North Korea
President:Kim Il Sung
Term Start:1 May 1976
Term End:9 March 1984
Predecessor:Post established
Successor:Pak Song-chol
Office1:2nd Premier of North Korea
Term Start1:28 December 1972
Term End1:19 April 1976
Premier1:Kim Il Sung
Predecessor1:Kim Il Sung
Successor1:Pak Song-chol
Office2:First Vice Premier of North Korea
Termstart2:March 1959
Termend2:28 December 1972
Premier2:Kim Il Sung
Predecessor2:Office established
Successor2:Kang Song-san
Office3:Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea Central Committee
Convocation3:4th term
Term Start3:18 September 1961
Term End3:12 October 1966
1Blankname3:Chairman
1Namedata3:Kim Il Sung
Alongside3:Pak Kum-chol, Choe Yong-gon, Kim Chang-man and Yi Hyo-sun.
Convocation4:2nd term
Term Start4:6 August 1953
Term End4:23 March 1954
Alongside4:Pak Chang-ok and Pak Chong-ae.
1Blankname4:Chairman
1Namedata4:Kim Il Sung
Birth Date:1910 3, df=yes
Death Place:Bucharest, SR Romania (now Republic of Romania)
Module:
Child:yes
Context:north
Hangul:김일
Rr:Gim Il
Mr:Kim Il

Kim Il (; 20 March 1910 – 9 March 1984) was a North Korean politician who was served as Premier of North Korea from 28 December 1972 to 19 April 1976.

Early life and career

200px|thumb|left|Choe Yong-gon, Kim Chaek, Kim Il, and Kang Kon receiving the first domestically produced Type 49 submachine guns from President Kim Il Sung, 1949.

Kim was born on 20 March 1910, in Hamgyong Province to a poor family of peasants. Kim joined the underground Communist Party in 1932 and fought against Japanese colonial rule from 1935. After the liberation of Korea in 1945, he served as secretary of the Party Committee of Pyongan Province. He was appointed to different important military posts since 1946.[1] Kim Il was elected to the 1st Central Committee on 24 November 1946 and remained a member until his death. After the Democratic People's Republic of Korea proclaimed independence in 1948, he was elected to the 2nd Standing Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and in 1953 he was elected to the 2nd WPK Political Committee (later renamed "Presidium"). In 1954, he became the Minister of Agriculture in the North Korean Cabinet replacing Pak Mun-gyu. He was then appointed his country's First Vice Premier in 1956.[2] Kim was elected a delegate to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA). By 1970, he was the highest-ranking member of WPK after Kim Il Sung and Choe Yong-gon.[3]

In 1966, Kim Il Sung did not deliver his usual New Year's address. Although the reason is not definitely known,[4] North Korean sources state that he was distracted by the news that Kim Il had been diagnosed with cancer and skipped the address to make arrangements for Kim's medical treatment.[5]

In the 1960s, Kim furthered the North Korean position of independence from both the Soviet Union and China in the Sino-Soviet split. He tried to persuade Romania to stay out of Comecon like North Korea. Kim also took part in the negotiations of trade and defense pacts with the Soviet Union. By March 1967, he declared the conclusion of economic and military agreements with Moscow.[6] He was named Premier in 1972 after Kim Il Sung gave up his premiership to become the President of North Korea. Kim Il was Premier until his resignation on 30 April 1976, due to failing health.

Vice Presidency

Kim immediately became the Vice President, appointed by the SPA.[7] His appointment was renewed on 15 December 1977. He served until his death in 1984,[8] [9] [10] alongside Pak Sung-chul, also Vice President.

Kim was elected to the Presidium of the Politburo of the WPK at the 6th WPK Congress in 1980.[11] At the Congress, Kim Il Sung had proposed Korean reunification under a "Democratic Federal Republic of Koryo", but only if the South Korean president Chun Doo-hwan was ousted. When Chun responded in his New Year's speech of 1981, asking Kim Il Sung to visit the South instead, Kim Il stepped in to denounce the South Korean administration and to call for all of Kim Il Sung's demands to be met before any dialogue could take place. Kim Il issued a statement, saying: "This is nothing but a foolish burlesque designed to whitewash [Chun's] dirty nation-splitting nature and gain public favor with the 'presidential election' at hand... As we have already announced clearly, Chun Doo Hwan is not a man worthy for us to do anything with... [The proposal is] a foolish act of a rogue who does not know where his place is."[12] Kim said:

Three weeks later, Kim Il, in the capacity of Chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland,[13] [14] demanded that a conference of 50 people representing the North and 50 the South should be organized. The proposal included the names of the desired Southern representatives, who included prominent politicians of parties banned in South Korea in 1980, but none from its ruling party.

Kim spent much of 1982 receiving medical treatment in Romania. Even after his reappearance in 1983, his health remained poor as evidenced by him missing numerous ceremonial gatherings.[15] He died on 9 March 1984, aged 73. He was awarded a state funeral presided over by a 69-strong funeral committee. His death is said to have marked the end of the period of dominance of the "old guard" of political leaders who were with Kim Il Sung before he ascended to power. At the time of his death, Kim Il was ranked second only to Kim Il Sung[16] and formally outranked even Kim Jong Il, Kim Il Sung's designated successor.[17] Kim Il had been reportedly critical of Kim Jong Il.[18] Nevertheless, KCNA called him the "closest and finest revolutionary comrade-in-arms" of Kim Il Sung and his death "a painful, big loss to our party and people".[19]

Works

References

Works cited

Notes and References

  1. Book: Kim Il . The Great Soviet Encyclopedia . 3rd . TheFreeDictionary.com . 1970–1979 . The Gale Group, Inc. . 5 February 2021 . https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Kim+Il .
  2. Book: Lentz, Harris M.. Kim Il. Heads of States and Governments Since 1945. Routledge. 2014. 978-1-134-26490-2. Oxon. 481.
  3. Book: Journal of Korean Affairs. 1–2. 1971. Research Institute on Korean Affairs. Silver Spring. 0047-2522. 6.
  4. Web site: Kim's New Year's speech reveals economic priorities . Lankov . Andrei . . 5 January 2015 . 5 February 2021 .
  5. Web site: Anecdotes about President Kim Il Sung . KCNA . 30 April 2002 . 5 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191124011910/http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2002/200204/news04/30.htm . 2019-11-24 .
  6. Book: Bulletin. Munich. Institute for the Study of the USSR. 1968. 1101999947. en. 5.
  7. News: Kim Il of North Korea, A Vice President, Dies. Associated Press . . 11 March 1984. 14 May 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140514225438/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/11/obituaries/kim-il-of-north-korea-a-vice-president-dies.html. 14 May 2014 . live.
  8. Book: Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments. CR CS 76-001. January 1976. CIA. Washington, DC. 44347462. 2027/osu.32435024020000.
  9. Book: Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments. CR CS 84-001. January 1984. CIA. Washington, DC. 44347462. /2027/osu.32435024019861.
  10. Book: Banks, Arthur S.. Political Handbook of the World, 1981. 1981. McGraw-Hill. New York. 978-0-07-003629-1. 286.
  11. Book: Kim, Ilpyong J.. Historical Dictionary of North Korea. 2003. Scarecrow Press. Lanham. 978-0-8108-4331-8. 15.
  12. Web site: North Korea Scorns Offer, By South For Visits . UPI . . 20 January 1981 . 4 February 2021 . A-11 .
  13. Web site: North Korea Proposes Parley on Reunification . Reuters . . 11 February 1982 . 4 February 2021 .
  14. Web site: Modern Korean History Portal: Timeline: 1981 . Wilson Center Digital Archive . History and Public Policy Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars . 5 February 2021 . 9 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210209103822/https://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/theme/modern-korean-history-portal/timeline?year=1981 . dead .
  15. Book: Wise, Donald. Asia 1984 Yearbook. 1985. Far Eastern Economic Review. Hongkong. 978-962-7010-17-3. 169.
  16. Book: Quarterly Economic Review of China, North Korea. 1. 1984. Economist Intelligence Unit. 24.
  17. Book: Scalapino. Robert A.. Kim. Dalchoong. Kim. Tal-chung. Asian Communism: Continuity and Transition. 1988. Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Center for Korean Studies. Berkeley. 978-1-55729-007-6. 88.
  18. Book: The Far East and Australasia 2003. 34th. Europa Publications. 2002. 978-1-85743-133-9. London. 654.
  19. Web site: North Korean vice president dies . UPI . 9 March 1984 . 4 February 2021 .