Kim Hyong-jik

This is a Korean name; the family name is Kim.
Kim Hyong-jik
Born (1894-07-10)10 July 1894 Taedong County, Mangyongdae, Pyongan Province, Joseon
Died 5 June 1926(1926-06-05) (aged 31) Jilin Province, Manchukuo
Spouse(s) Kang Pan-sok
Children Kim Il-sung
Kim Yong-ju
Kim Hyong-jik
Chosŏn'gŭl 김형직
Hancha 金亨稷
Revised Romanization Gim Hyeong-jik
McCune–Reischauer Kim Hyŏng-jik

Kim Hyŏng-jik (10 July 1894 – 5 June 1926) was a Korean independence activist and Communist politician. He was the father of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung, grandfather of Kim Jong-il, and great-grandfather of the current leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un.

Biography

Little is known about Hyong-jik. Born on 10 July 1894,[1] in the small village of Mangyungdai, situated on top of a peak called "Mungyungbong" (translated as "All Seeing Peak") located just 12 kilometers down stream on the Diadong River from the city of Pyongyang, Kim was the son of Kim Bo-hyon (金輔鉉, 1871–1955).[2][3] Kim attended Sungshil School, which was run by American missionaries, and became a teacher and later an herbal pharmacist. He died as a result of numerous medical problems, including third-degree frostbite.

Kim Hyong-jik and his wife attended Christian churches. It was reported that his son, Kim Il-sung, attended church services during his teenage years before becoming an atheist later in life.[4]

Kim Il-sung spoke a lot of his father's idea of chiwŏn (righteous aspirations).

Kim Jong-Il's official government biography states that Kim Hyong-jik was "the leader of the anti-Japanese national liberation movement and was a pioneer in shifting the direction from the nationalist movement to the communist movement in Korea." This is widely disputed among foreign academics and independent sources, who claim that Kim Hyong-jik's opposition was little more than general grievances with life under the Japanese occupation. Kim Il-sung claimed his ancestors, including his grandfather Kim Bo-hyon and great-grandfather Kim Un-u (1848–1878) were involved in the General Sherman incident, but this is also disputed and believed to be a fabrication.

References

  1. ↑ Baik Bpong, Kim Il Sung, Volume I: From Birth to the Triumphant Return to the Homeland (Dar al-Talia Publishers: Beirut Lebanon, 1973) p. 19.
  2. ↑ Hyung-chan Kim (2003). "Kim Jong Il's North Korea and Its Survivability". Korea and World Affairs (Korea: Pʻyŏnghwa Tʻongil Yŏnʼguso) 27: 251. ISSN 0251-3072. OCLC 3860590. One also has to accept the existence of Kim Bo-hyeon (1871–1955), Kim Il-sung's grandfather, who participated in anti-Japanese activities.
  3. ↑ Gourevitch, Philip (September 8, 2003). "Alone in the dark". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on December 29, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Kim Il Sung killer file". Moreorless : Heroes and killers of the 20th century.

Further reading

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