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Front: Kim Il Sung (1912-1994), Prime Minister of North Korea 1948-1972,
President of North Korea 1972-1994
Kim was born into a peasant family in Japanese-occupied Korea. The family
moved to Manchuria when he was still a child. Kim attended Chinese schools, and
became the leader of a small group of Korean partisans conducting raids against
Japanese outposts in Korea. In 1941, he fled to Soviet Union where he
received military training. Kim returned to Korea in 1945 as a major in the
Soviet army.
Kim became Prime Minister of North Korea in 1948. Seeking to unify the two
Koreas by military means, Kim built up a large military and waged a guerrilla
war against the South. In 1950, Kim invaded the South, and triggered the Korean
War that involved the United States and the Chinese.
Back: House with trees
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