Kim Il Sung University

History

On 25 May 1946, the Preparatory Committee was formed by the founding universities. In July 1946, the university was established by order of the interim People's Committee of North Korea (ordinance No. 40).

In 1948, four university faculties (Faculty of Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Medicine) were separated from Kim Il Sung University to form Pyongyang University of Technology (currently Kim Chaek University of Technology), Wonsan University of Agriculture, Pyongyang Medical College, and the Pyongyang University of Architecture.

During the Korean War, the university was located at Baeksong-ri under Mount Jamo in Suncheon-gun, which was far from the centre of the city. By late 1955, the reconstruction of the main building on the Pyongyang campus was in progress and soon the university moved back to the centre of Pyongyang.

After the war, Kim Il Sung University became known as a hotbed of intellectual dissent. Academics supported more intellectual freedoms than Kim loyalists, and disadvantageous factions within the Workers' Party of Korea were over-represented in university staff. Following the Revolutions of 1956 in Hungary and in Poland, North Korean exchange students were quickly repatriated from the affected countries. The students started asking "improper" questions on campus, causing alarm. After that, up to one hundred students and several prominent staff members were purged. The purging of the university gave further impetus to purges against functionalists all over the country.

By the end of 1970s more than 50,000 students had graduated from the university. In addition, the university was an important asset for the Korean People's Army to train its personnel.

Beginning in the 1970s, some English-medium programs have been taught at the university.

Until 2004, Pak Kwan-o, an authority on nuclear physics and current Chairman of the People's Committee of Pyongyang (synonymous with mayor), had been serving as the president for 17 years. According to the university's website, the current president is Kim Sung Chan who was appointed in 2021.

In May 2010, Pyongyang Medical College, Sariwon Kye Ung Sang Agricultural College and Pyongyang Agricultural College became members of the Kim Il Sung University Council. Those three institutions were later removed in October 2019.

According to Korean Central Television, North Korean students can take classes at and download lectures from Kim Il Sung University via the Mirae WiFi network, beginning in 2018.

International students

Kim Il Sung University first began admitting international students in 1995; as of 2019, approximately 5000 international students from 30 countries have studied at the university. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were estimated to be about 100 foreign students at Kim Il Sung University, the majority of whom were Chinese.

International students reside alongside specially selected North Korean students known as tongsuksaeng, who serve as cultural liaisons and language tutors. However, these hosts are also reported to monitor the foreign students' activities, including inspecting personal belongings and tracking movements.

Foreign students seeking to undertake postgraduate studies at Kim Il Sung University are required to provide their birth certificate, a letter of intent, their undergraduate qualification(s), a police background check from their home country, medical records, details of their financial background to show how they will be financing their education in North Korea, as well as a letter attesting to their Korean language ability.

Departments

Social sciences

• Finance
• Foreign languages and Literature
• Economics
• History
• Korean language and Literature
• Law
• Philosophy

Natural sciences

• Chemistry
• Electronics and Automation
• Energy Science
• Forest Science
• Geography
• Geo-environmental Science
• Geology
• Computer Science
• Life Science
• Materials Science
• Mathematics
• Mechanics
• Physics

Others

• Distance Education
• Education

Notable alumni

• An Kyong-ho, former Chief Director of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland
• Kim Jong Il, former Supreme Leader of North Korea, attended 1960–1964
• Kim Jong Un, Supreme Leader of North Korea since December 2011, may have attended 2002–2007.
• Kim Pyong Il, half-brother of Kim Jong Il and ambassador to Czech Republic
• Kim Yo Jong, sister of Kim Jong Un, said to have studied Computer Technology alongside Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota's daughter, Kim Eun-gyon.
• Kyong Won-ha, nuclear scientist
• Andrei Lankov, Kookmin University professor and former Australian National University lecturer, attended as an exchange student in 1985 from Leningrad State University, Institute of Oriental Studies.
• Rüdiger Frank, Professor for East Asian Economy and Society, attended as an exchange student in 1991/1992.
• Paek Nam-sun, former Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Sin Son-ho, previous Permanent Representative of North Korea to the United Nations
• Zhang Dejiang, former Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and former member of Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.
• Ri Sol-ju, first lady of North Korea and wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
• Thae Jong-su, North Korean politician

References

Works cited

References

1. [http://www.ryongnamsan.edu.kp/univ/en/about/president-speech Professor, Kim Sung Chan The President of Kim Il Sung University and the Minister of Higher Education].
2. (2016). "Ryongnamsan". Kim Il Sung University.
3. "Kim Il Sung University {{!}} KTG® Tours {{!}} Pyongyang, North Korea".
4. link
5. "E-Library".
6. Wingfield-Hayes, Rupert. (4 May 2016). "A rare look inside North Korea's Kim Il Sung University". [[BBC News]].
7. McCarthy, Tom. (2013-01-08). "Eric Schmidt's North Korea show-and-tell: one strange photo op". The Guardian.
8. (2013-01-08). "Google exec. Eric Schmidt sees North Korean university students surfing web - CBS News".
9. York, Rob. (12 December 2014). "Kim Il Sung University has new website". [[NK News]].
10. (8 July 2019). "Kim Il Sung University".
11. (9 December 2019). "Prestigious Pyongyang university now running specialist Japanese language and literature courses".
12. [http://www.ryongnamsan.edu.kp/univ/en/about/history Brief History of Kim Il Sung University]
13. (2021). "Architecture teachers during the early days of North Korea: Between liberation from Japanese colonial rule and the establishment of a socialist state". Japan Architectural Review.
14. Kim Il Sung University. "Brief History of Kim Il Sung University - KIM IL SUNG UNIVERSITY".
15. ["北 평양시장 경질...전 김일성대 총장 박관오씨 새로 임명 [North, Replaced the Mayor of Pyongyang... New mayor is Pak Kwan O, Former President of Kim Il Sung University]," Donga Ilbo, 5 April 2007, www.donga.com]
16. Ji, Dagyum. (November 14, 2018). "Smartphone-capable WiFi on show at Pyongyang IT exhibition, state TV reveals". [[NK News]].
17. (17 December 2019). "Kim Il Sung University sets new procedures for international students.". [[Korea Now]].
18. (27 August 2021). "Inside a North Korean University".
19. (April 2020). "'You think Trump will save you?': my nine days detained by North Korea's secret police".
20. (2021-08-23). "Article offers rare look inside a North Korean university".
21. (26 February 2019). "Twitter and Cocoa Puffs: The surprising life of a student at North Korea's top university".
22. "Inside North Korea: What life for a rare foreign student in Pyongyang reveals about the reclusive country". American Broadcasting Company.
23. "University Structure".
24. "The President of Kim Il Sung University - KIM IL SUNG UNIVERSITY".
25. Choe Sang-Hun and Martin Fackler. (14 June 2009). "North Korea's Heir Apparent Remains a Mystery". [[The New York Times]].
26. Kim, Song-A. (9 May 2007). "Photos of Kim Jong Il's Brother, Kim Pyong Il and Recent Visits". [[Daily NK]].
27. Kim Hee-Jin. (19 March 2014). "Abductee's daughter is favorite of Kim's sister". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
28. (24 February 2018). "Thae Jong Su (T'ae Cho'ng-su)". North Korea Leadership Watch.