Kim Il Sung, born Kim Song Ju, was a North Korean revolutionary, military commander, politician, and dictator who founded the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 1948 and led the country until his death in 1994. He served as Premier of North Korea from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to 1994, and as General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) from 1966. Following Japan's surrender in World War II, he authorized the 1950 invasion of South Korea, initiating the Korean War. Under his leadership, North Korea became a totalitarian, socialist, personalist dictatorship with a centrally planned economy, maintaining close ties with the Soviet Union and China. His ideology of Juche, focusing on "Independence, Self-sustenance and Self-Defence," promoted Korean nationalism. He faced economic challenges after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, contributing to a widespread famine in 1994. Known as the Great Leader (Suryong), he established a pervasive personality cult and designated his son Kim Jong Il as his successor in 1980, founding the Kim dynasty. From the 1970s, he developed a calcinosis growth on the right side of his neck, which was concealed in official photographs. In early 1994, he initiated nuclear power investments and engaged in negotiations with the US over the nuclear program. His rule was marked by widespread human rights abuses, including a caste system (songbun), purges, public executions, and political prison camps (kwanliso). He also orchestrated the abduction of foreign nationals. He died on 8 July 1994 from a heart attack.