Kim Il Sung and Korea's Struggle: An Unconventional Firsthand HistoryIn 1910, Japan took control over Korea by military and political force. Then, in 1945, Korea was arbitrarily divided by the Soviet Union and the United States into North and South Korea. The Soviets impeded all United Nations efforts to hold elections and reunite the country under one government. Korea has been struggling for independence and reunification ever since. In this memoir, Won Tai Sohn recollects the unusually harsh Japanese treatment of Korean people in Korea, Manchuria, China and Japan, and remembers his close relationship with North Korean president Kim Il Sung from their boyhood to President Kim's sudden death in 1994. According to Dr. Sohn, President Kim devoted his entire life to the liberation of Korea, starting with fighting against the Japanese stationed in North Korea and China. He became the first premier of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea when it was established in 1948, and led his nation in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. In 1993, President Kim's nuclear program and defense policy became a great concern for the United States when intelligence analysis estimated that North Korea was less than two years away from being able to strike South Korea and Japan with nuclear missiles. President Kim died two months after talks with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter about ending North Korea's nuclear program. |
Contents
Foreword by In Kwan Hwang | 1 |
Preface by Won Tai Sohn | 11 |
My First Relationship with President Kim Il Sung | 19 |
Copyright | |
21 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
80th birthday Ahn Chang anti-Japanese struggle asked Association of Korean attending became Beijing brother children's association China Chinese Choe church days in Jilin enjoyed father feel felt friendship girl heart Hospital ident Kim Independence Army independence fighters independence movement Japan Japanese occupation Japanese police Juche Kangso Kim Il Sung Kim Jong Kim Jong Il Kim Ku Kim Sung Korean Children Korean independence Korean language later leader leadership learned Lee Jang Chong liberation living Manchuria meeting memoirs ment Middle School mother motherland Myohyang Mountains nation nese North Korea Omaha Onchon Paektu patriotic political President Kim Il pro-Japanese Pyong Pyongyang returned reunification Seoul Shanghai Sohn Won Sohn's Song Songhua River South student Sung's Syngman Rhee tion told Tong United visit to Pyongyang visited Pyongyang West Sea wife Won Tai Sohn Won Yil Yoo Shin young youth Zhang Zhang Zuoxiang