May 1st was Labour Day in North Korea. As you know, North Korea is a communist country run by a single party called the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK). Originally, there were four factions within the WPK that consisted of 1) Soviet Koreans 2) the Domestic Faction 3) the Yanan faction and 4) the Guerilla faction. The members of the Soviet Korean faction were Koreans who had ties to Russian communists. To make a long story short, Kim II Sung (김일성), who was Kim Jong II’s (김정일) father, got rid of the faction through political intrigue.

Kim II Sung also ousted the Yanan faction. The Yanan faction consisted of members who had affiliates to Chinese communists. The members of the Domestic Faction consisted of members who opposed Japan’s colonial rule of Korea. The faction dissolved naturally as Japanese rule ended after WWII. Kim II Sung was a member of the Guerilla Faction.  The members had previously fought the Japanese in Manchuria and fled to the Soviets when Japan conquered the area.

During the 1960s, when tensions between China and Russia were mounting, Kim II Sung took the opportunity to form an independent, communist ideology called the Juche (주체) policy. In simple terms, the policy called for absolute independence from foreign powers. In the 1980s, Kim II Sung became the leader of the WPK. The party adopted the usual hammer and sickle, in addition to a calligraphy brush. The brush was supposed to symbolize the party’s desire to be seen as a literate, educated working party.

As a result, May Day is a holiday in which North Koreans remember their Marxist origins. Here’s a discussion I’d like the readers of this blog to comment on. Given the history of Kim II Sung’s role in the WPK, do you think he was a “great” leader? Keep in mind that some people think that the leader’s leadership skills should be regarded separate from the morals of the leader. If you do or do not consider Kim II Sung a “good” or “great” leader, why do you consider him a “good/great” or not a “good/great” leader?