Kim Hyong-jik

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, Manchuria, Republic of China
Spouse(s) Kang Pan-sok
Children Kim Il-sung
Kim Yong-ju
Parent(s) Kim Bo-hyon
Li Bo Ik
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. 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 Kim. Born on 10 July 1894,[1] 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).[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 and his wife attended Christian churches,[4] and Kim even served as a part-time Protestant missionary.[5] 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 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.

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 30, 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Kim Il Sung killer file". Moreorless : Heroes and killers of the 20th century. Archived from the original on 2005-12-05.
  5. ↑ Lankov, Andrei (2011-08-17). "Kim Il-sung: disastrous founder of communist N. Korea". Korea Times. Retrieved 2016-08-02.

Further reading

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