Fyodor Tertitskiy, an expert in North Korean history and author of 'The Accidental Tyrant', dives into Kim Il-sung's unexpected rise to power post-WWII. Tertitskiy discusses how Kim, once a minor figure, utilized committee politics and manipulation to become the nation’s leader. He explores the myths surrounding Kim's life, his militarization strategies, and the profound influence of his Juche ideology. The podcast examines the oppressive cult of personality that ensued, presenting a chilling look at how historical contexts shaped North Korea's current regime.
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insights INSIGHT
Challenges of Historical Sourcing
Research faced major challenges due to war destroying archives and extreme state secrecy.
Additionally, North Korea's mythologization of history required careful navigation to uncover truths.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Kim's Guerrilla Struggle and Escape
Kim Il-sung fought as a guerrilla against Japanese in Manchuria but his movement was crushed by efficient counterinsurgency.
Facing betrayals and capture, he fled to the Soviet Union, narrowly escaping execution thanks to comrades.
insights INSIGHT
88th Brigade's Crucial Role
Kim Il-sung served as a captain in the Soviet Army's unique 88th Brigade of foreign nationals.
This military experience deeply influenced his leadership and the later North Korean military structure.
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In this work, Lenin builds upon Marx's theories to propose a stage of capitalism characterized by the dominance of finance capital and the formation of monopolies. He argues that imperialism is a result of the concentration of capital, the growth of industrial and banking monopolies, and the export of capital to colonies. Lenin provides empirical evidence and statistical data to support his analysis, highlighting the predatory and anticompetitive behaviors of cartels and the inevitability of war arising from the contradictions of imperialism.
Das Kapital
Karl Marx
In September 1945, various factions within the Soviet state were determining how the new nation of North Korea would be ruled, and who would be its leader. In late September a list was generated of potential leaders, and passed to higher authorities. The name Kim Il-Sung was not on it. At the time the future dictator of the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea was recently returned to Korea, where he had not been for years if not decades, and aspired to be the vice-Mayor of Pyongyang. But extraordinarily by late October, this obscure figure who had not had any rank higher than battalion commander in the Soviet Army was recommended as the leader of the North Korean proto-government. By the middle of December he was the highest ranking official in the Korean Communist Party; and on 8 February he was officially made the head of the North Korean proto-government.
In point of fact Kim would not be in charge of both party and government until 1949. But this “accidental tyrant”, as my guest Fyodor Tertitsky titles him, had a genius for committee politics, the manipulation of factions, and personal survival. Calamities brought about by his own choices became opportunities for the elimination of his enemies and the establishment of ever-greater powers, until by his death his family was in the seemingly unassailable position in which it remains today, decades later.
Fyodor Tertitskiy studies North Korean political, social and military history. He has been living in South Korea for more than a decade. His previous books, authored several books in English and Korean, include The North Korean Army: History, Structure, Daily Life, and Soviet-North Korean Relations During the Cold War. His most recent book is The Accidental Tyrant: The Life of Kim Il-Sung, which is the subject of our conversation today.
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