Name Kim Hyong-jik Children Kim Il-sung Parents Kim Bo-hyon | Spouse Kang Pan-sok Role Politician | |
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Born 10 July 1894 Taedong County, Mangyongdae, Pyongan Province, Joseon ( 1894-07-10 ) Died June 5, 1926, Jilin, China Grandchildren Kim Jong-il, Kim Kyong-hui, Kim Pyong-il, Kim Man-il, Kim Yong-il, Kim Kyong-Jin Similar People Kim Il‑sung, Kang Pan‑sok, Kim Jong‑il, Kim Jong‑un, Kim Jong‑suk | ||
Kim Hyong Jik University of Education
Kim Hyŏng-jik (10 July 1894 – 5 June 1926) was a Korean independence activist. 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.
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Biography
Little is known about Kim. Born on 10 July 1894, in the small village of Mangyungdai, situated atop a peak called "Mungyungbong" ("All-Seeing Peak") just 12 kilometers downstream on the Diadong River from Pyongyang, Kim was the son of Kim Bo-hyon (金輔鉉, 1871–1955). 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 and his wife attended Christian churches, and Kim even served as a part-time Protestant missionary. It was reported that his son, Kim Il-sung, attended church services during his teenage years before becoming an atheist later in life.
Kim Il-sung often spoke of his father's idea of chiwŏn (righteous aspirations).
Kim Jong-il's official government biography states that his grandfather 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's opposition was little more than general grievances with life under Japanese occupation. Kim Il-sung claimed his ancestors, including his grandfather Kim Bo-hyon and great-grandfather Kim Ung-u (1848–1878), were involved in the General Sherman incident, but this is also disputed and believed to be a fabrication.