Kim Hyong-jik


Kim Hyŏng-jik was a Korean independence activist. He was the father of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung, the paternal 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, in the small village of Mangyongdae, situated atop a peak called Mungyungbong just 12 kilometers downstream on the Diadong River from Pyongyang, Kim was the son of Kim Bo-hyon. 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.
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, were involved in the General Sherman incident, but this is also disputed and believed to be a fabrication.,

Family