Kim attended school in Manchuria and became active in a communist youth group while he was still a student.
After fighting against the Japanese during World War II, Kim Il-Sung returned to Soviet-occupied North Korea as a hero.
With Soviet support, he quickly amassed political power, and in early 1950 he felt strong enough to unify Korea by force.
On June 25, 1950, Kim invaded South Korea and the Korean War began.
Declared the "eternal president" of North Korea upon his death, Kim is afforded near-godlike status among the North Korean public.
Kim was the son of parents who fled to Manchuria during his childhood to escape the Japanese rule of Korea.
Hoping to reunify Korea by force, Kim launched an invasion of South Korea in 1950, thereby igniting the Korean War. »