Death and state funeral of Kim Il Sung explained
| Event Name: | Death and funeral of Kim Il Sung |
| Image Alt: | A painting of Kim smiling |
| Participants: | Kim Jong Il and North Korean military, government and Korean Workers' Party elites |
| Location: | Pyongyang, North Korea |
| Date: | 8–17 July 1994 |
Kim Il Sung died of a heart attack on the early morning of 8 July 1994 at age 82. North Korea's government did not report the death for more than 34 hours after it occurred. An official mourning period was declared from 8–17 July, during which the national flag was flown at half mast throughout the country, and all forms of amusement and dancing were prohibited.[1]
Radio Pyongyang reported that Kim had died from a stroke.[2] In the years prior to his death, he had been receiving treatment for diabetes as well as the hardening of arteries in his heart. His son Kim Jong Il was announced as North Korea's next leader with the title of "The Great Successor" (Korean: 위대한 계승자) that same day marked the start of North Korea becoming a dynasty. Seventeen years later, he died on 17 December 2011 of the same cause of death as his father and Jong Il's demise was announced two days later.
Background
On the late morning just before 12:00 noon of 7 July 1994, Kim Il Sung collapsed at his residence in Hyangsan from a sudden heart attack. His son Kim Jong Il ordered the team of doctors who were constantly at his father's side to leave, and arranged for the country's best doctors to be flown in from Pyongyang. After several hours, the doctors from Pyongyang arrived, but despite their efforts to save him, Kim Il Sung died at around 2:00 am local time on 8 July 1994.[3] His death was declared 34 hours later.
The announcement of the death of the supreme leader was made live over Korean Central Television at noon by the channel's news presenter Chon Hyong-kyu on 9 July 1994.[4]
Kim Il Sung's death resulted in nationwide mourning and a ten-day mourning period was declared by Kim Jong Il. His funeral in Pyongyang was attended by hundreds of thousands of people from all over North Korea. Kim Il Sung's body was placed in a public mausoleum at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, where his preserved and embalmed body lies under a glass coffin for viewing purposes. His head rests on a Korean-style pillow and he is covered by the flag of the Workers' Party of Korea. Newsreel video of the funeral at Pyongyang was broadcast on several networks, and now can be found on various websites.[5] A further mourning period lasted until the third anniversary of his death in 1997.[6]
Reactions
Korean Peninsula
- – On 9 July, Korean Central News Agency said that North Koreans "firmly resolve to remain loyal to the guidance of the Dear Leader Kim Jong Il". The agency described the so-called Dear Leader as "the reliable heir of Great Leader Kim Il Sung's revolutionary accomplishments".[7] In another broadcast, Kim was described as the "inheritor of North Korea's revolution and the chief of revolutionary forces".[8] On 11 July Japanese public television NHK said that North Korea's government completely blocked people and vehicles from passing through Tumen City, situated at the foot of the Tumen River, on the China–North Korea border, where border trade is actively taking place.[9]
- – President Kim Young-sam put South Korean troops on high alert and shelved a planned Inter-Korean summit scheduled on July 25.[10] [11]
International reactions
Funeral service
Kim Jong Il was chairman of the funeral committee. The committee also included Defense Minister O Jin-u, and Vice President Kim Yong Ju, who was Kim Il Sung's younger brother.[15]
The funeral committee released communique regarding the funeral:
The state funeral was scheduled to be held on 17 July[16] but was delayed until 19 July.[17] It included the observance of three minutes of silence throughout the country. Attendance to the funeral was two million people.[18]
Funeral committee
The funeral committee was chaired by Kim Jong Il and had 273 members,[19] including:[20]
See also
Further reading
External links
Notes and References
- Book: North Korea Quarterly. 1994-01-01. Institute of Asian Affairs. 56. en.
- Web site: 1994-07-09. Kim Il Sung, N. Korea's Longtime Leader, Dies : Asia: Death of Communist dictator at 82 comes weeks before North-South meeting. Experts expect instability.. live. 2021-11-07. Los Angeles Times. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20200428230846/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-09-mn-13445-story.html . 28 April 2020 .
- News: KIM IL SUNG DEAD AT AGE 82; LED NORTH KOREA 5 DECADES; WAS NEAR TALKS WITH SOUTH . . 9 July 1994.
- Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Web site: North Korean TV Kim Il Sung death announcement July 8th, 1994 . YouTube. 4 June 2020 .
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zYsUqAYg6c Scenes of lamentation after Kim Il-sung's death
- Web site: North Korea ends mourning for Kim Il Sung . CNN . 8 July 1997 . 9 May 2015 .
- The Independent, 11 July 1994, Monday, "The Korean Succession: Fears of power struggle in North Korea"
- "South Korea assumes "for now" that Kim Il-sung died of natural causes", South Korean news agency, Seoul, in English, 11 July 1994, Monday
- "Pyongyang prevents foreigners from entering until after 17th July", KBS Radio, Seoul, 11 July 1994
- Web site: Jameson . Sam . 1994-07-10 . S. Korea Places Troops on Alert : Asia: A day after the death of Communist leader Kim Il Sung, Seoul says it is responding to similar action by North. But Pyongyang remains silent on its movements, and capitals appear calm. . 2024-01-24 . . en-US.
- News: 2014-07-11 . How South Korea and America wrecked chance for reconciliation with the North . 2024-01-24 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
- Web site: Jameson . Sam . 1994-07-10 . S. Korea Places Troops on Alert : Asia: A day after the death of Communist leader Kim Il Sung, Seoul says it is responding to similar action by North. But Pyongyang remains silent on its movements, and capitals appear calm. . 2024-01-24 . . en-US.
- Eugene Bazhanov and Natasha Bazhanov, "The Evolution of Russian-Korea Relations", Asian Survey, vol. 34, no. 9 (1994).
- News: The Washington Post . 9 July 1994 . North Korean President Kim Il Sung Dies at 82 .
- The Washington Times, 10 July 1994, Sunday, Final Edition, "The son takes charge in Pyongyang"
- News: Kim Il Sung dies of heart attack . The Straits Times . 10 July 1994.
- News: North Korea postpones Kim's funeral . The Straits Times . 17 July 1994.
- Book: Gall. Timothy L. Gall. Susan B. Worldmark Chronology of the Nations: Asia. 3. 1999. Gale Group. Farmington Hills. 0-7876-0521-2. 316.
- Web site: Kim Il Sung . The Gale Group Inc. . 2004 . 7 February 2019 . Cold War Reference Library . Encyclopedia.com .
- Web site: ko:금수산 의사당서 10일장/김일성 장례 어떻게 치르나 . . 10 July 1994 . 18 August 2020 . http://www.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=19940710005003 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200818043027/http://www.seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=19940710005003 . ko . 5 . Alt URL
China – Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping sent his condolences to North Korea, calling him “a close comrade-in-arms”. [12]
United States – President Bill Clinton expressed his hope that the talks "will continue as appropriate". Clinton said: "I extend sincere condolences to the people of North Korea on the death of President Kim Il Sung. We appreciate his leadership in resuming the talks between our governments."[14]