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Witness History: North Korea's founding father

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North Korea's founding father

03/09/2021 GMT

BBC World Service - Witness History, North Korea's founding father

How Kim Il-sung came to power in communist North Korea

The mystery behind one of the communist world's longest-serving leaders and how he came to power.

When World War Two ended and the Korean peninsula was divided, Soviet soldiers occupied the North, and US soldiers occupied the South. So how did one man, Kim Il-sung, take control  of communist North Korea and create the long-lasting dynasty that still runs the country today? Kevin Kim has been hearing from Professor Kim Hyung-suk about his meeting with Kim Il-sung, and about the mystery behind his rise to power.

Photo: North Korean illustration of Kim Il-sung surrounded by happy citizens.

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