This article is part of the series: Politics and government of North Korea

Kim Il-sung (Korean: 김일성) (15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a Korean communist politician who led North Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death. He was also the General Secretary of the Workers Party of Korea, exercising autocratic power. During his tenure as leader of North Korea, he favored his self-developed Juche idea and established a pervasive and entrenched cult of personality. Following his death in 1994, he was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il. North Korea officially refers to Kim Il-sung as the "Great Leader" and he is designated in the constitution as the country's "Eternal President". His birthday and the day of his death are public holidays in North Korea.

Much of the early records of his life come from his own personal accounts and official North Korean government publications, which often conflict with independent sources. Nevertheless, there is some consensus on at least the basic story of his early life, corroborated by witnesses from the period. Often North Korean sources place him as an "almighty spirit" that was born and died in human form, almost in a similar manner to Jesus Christ. Also, many North Koreans believe he "created the world".