Kim Il Sung, born Kim Song-ju, was the founding leader of North Korea and the leader of the country from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. Born to a peasant family in what is now North Korea, Kim became involved in anti-Japanese resistance activities at a young age and participated in the Korean independence movement. After Korea's liberation from Japan in 1945, Kim emerged as a leading figure in the Soviet-backed Provisional People's Committee for North Korea and became the first Premier of North Korea in 1948. Under his leadership, North Korea became a communist state, separated from South Korea, and aligned with the Soviet Union and China. Kim Il Sung is revered as the "Great Leader" in North Korea, and his teachings and ideology, known as Juche, have shaped the country's political, social, and economic systems.
