21 Brutal Dictators of the 20th Century Posted on September 18, 2016November 11, 2017 by TFE Times Prev5 of 21Next Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was the leader of North Korea from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Premier from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to 1994. He was also the leader of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) from 1949 to 1994 (titled as chairman from 1949 to 1966 and as general secretary after 1966). Coming to power after the overthrow of Japanese rule in 1945, he authorized the invasion of South Korea in 1950 triggering a defense of South Korea by the United Nations led by the United States. A cease-fire in the Korean War was signed on 27 July 1953. He was one of the longest-serving non-royal heads of state in the 20th century, in office for more than 45 years. Related
