“Tertitskiy’s comprehensive biography … helps us to understand how Kim gained power, how he kept it for himself … [and] how other leaders — starting with Stalin and Mao — helped him to do so and allowed North Korea to destabilize north-east Asia and the wider world until today.” — Financial Times
“Mr. Tertitskiy … has pulled off a rare and impressive biographical feat… [and] given us a chilling portrait of a man who seems almost too bad to be true.” — The Wall Street Journal
“Tertitskiy has marshalled an impressive array of sources in multiple languages to piece together this brisk, credible and highly readable account … fascinating.”– The Telegraph
“A biography with grand political and historical dimensions” — Willem Marx, Foreword Reviews
“The definitive account of the man who shaped modern North Korea. Drawing on extensive archival research and the author’s deep historical knowledge, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of North Korea’s past and present.” — Andrei Lankov, Director, NK News, and author of North of the DMZ and The Real North Korea
“Tertitskiy’s well-researched book makes accessible for general readers the life of Kim Il-sung. This is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the ideological and political origins of contemporary North Korea.” — Ankit Panda, Editor-at-Large, The Diplomat, and author of Kim Jong Un and the Bomb
“A comprehensive and highly accessible account of the creation of North Korea–and its first dictator, Kim Il-sung. His legacy persists to this day, through his grandson Kim Jong-un, making this book essential reading for understanding how this repressive autocracy endures.” — Anna Fifield, author of The Great Successor: The Secret Rise and Rule of Kim Jong Un
“Tertitskiy, a renowned North Korea scholar, explores the true history of Kim Il-sung. This historic work delves into the origins of North Korea and its complex relationship with its progenitor, the Soviet Union, offering vital insights into the foundations of the regime that continues to shape the brutal and dangerous rule of Kim Jong-un today.” — Kang Chol-hwan, North Korean escapee and co-author of The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag
“A biography of the first North Korean leader that is both highly readable and extensively researched.” — Stephen Mercado, Asian Review of Books
“Impressive.” — NK News
“Perhaps the most thoroughly researched account available on Kim’s unfortunate regime.” — Shepherd Express
“Fascinating.” — The Week, Best History Books to Read in 2025
“This biography of Kim Il-sung … raises the interesting question of whether Kim’s rise to supreme power in North Korea was inevitable.” — Survival
“[A] revelatory biography… Tertitskiy’s deep dive into the origins of the Kim family “pseudo-monarchy” could not be more timely.” — Global Asia
About the Author
Fyodor Tertitskiy has been living in South Korea for more than a decade, where he studies North Korean political, social and military history. He has authored several books in English and Korean, including The North Korean Army: History, Structure, Daily Life, and Soviet-North Korean Relations During the Cold War.
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