Kim family (North Korea)
| Kim family Mount Paektu Bloodline | |
|---|---|
| Parent family | Jeonju Kim clan |
| Country | North Korea |
| Place of origin | Mangyongdae, Pyongyang |
| Founded | 9 September 1948 |
| Founder | Kim Il Sung |
| Current head | Kim Jong Un |
| Titles | Supreme Leader of North Korea General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Eternal leaders of North Korea |
| Style(s) |
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| Members | |
| Connected members | Kim Il Sung's wives: Kim Il Sung's sons:
Kim Il Sung's daughters: Kim Jong Il's wives:
Kim Jong Il's sons: Kim Jong Il's daughters:
|
| Traditions | Juche (Ten Principles) |
| Estate | Residences of North Korean leaders |
| Paektu bloodline | |
| Hangul | 백두혈통 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 白頭血統 |
| RR | Baekdu hyeoltong |
| MR | Paektu hyŏlt'ong |
| North Korea portal |
The Kim family is the three-generation lineage of North Korean leadership, descending from the country's founder and first leader, Kim Il Sung. Officially known as the Mount Paektu Bloodline (Korean: 백두혈통) in the ideological discourse of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), it is often referred to as the Kim dynasty after the end of the Cold War.
Kim Il Sung came to rule the north in 1948, after the end of Japanese rule split the region in 1945. Following his death in 1994, Kim Il Sung's role as supreme leader was passed to his son, Kim Jong Il, and then in 2011 to his grandson, Kim Jong Un. The three have each served as leaders of the Workers' Party of Korea (titled as Chairman from 1948 to 1966, General Secretary from 1966 to 2012, First Secretary from 2012 to 2016, Chairman again from 2016 to 2021, and General Secretary again since 2021) and as North Korea's supreme leaders since the state's establishment in 1948.
The North Korean government denies that there is a personality cult surrounding the Kim family, describing the people's devotion to the family as a personal manifestation of support for their nation's leadership. The Kim family has been described as a de facto absolute monarchy or hereditary dictatorship.