Sung Chiao-jen, 1882-1913, Chinese revolutionary and political leader. He was a founding member (1905) and a leading activist in the Revolutionary Alliance (see Sun Yat-sen), an organization dedicated to overthrowing the Manchu dynasty in favor of a republic. After the republican revolution of 1911, Sung guided the Revolutionary Alliance into a merger with several parliamentary parties to form the Kuomintang, or Nationalist party. The parliamentary majority achieved by the Kuomintang in the elections of 1912-13 was largely due to Sung's superb organizing ability. He advocated a party cabinet to check the power of the first president, Yüan Shih-kai. Sung was assassinated, allegedly at the instigation of Yuan.

Sung, dynasty of China that ruled 960-1279. It was divided into two periods: Northern Sung (907-1126) with its capital at Kaifeng and Southern Sung (1127-1279) with its capital at Hangzhou. The first emperor, Chao K'uang-yin, consolidated several warring states and established a domain that included the Chinese heartland and Hainan island in the south. He also laid the principle of civilian control over the military, which enabled the Sung to avoid the warlordism that had ultimately destroyed the T'ang. Hard pressed by the Khitan and the Tangut, the Sung paid tribute to avert invasion. In 1126, however, the Jurchens took over the Huang He river valley and established the Chin dynasty in the north. The Chinese court fled to the south and established what later historians call the Southern Sung dynasty. Although China was weak militarily and surrounded by strong enemies, the Sung dynasty is known for its economic, intellectual, and artistic accomplishments. The civil service examination system was extended, agricultural productivity increased with new technologies, and both domestic and overseas commerce expanded as advances in ship-building and the use of the magnetic compass made voyages safer. These developments resulted in the growth of cities and the introduction of paper currency. Wang An-shih's ambitious programs to increase revenue and strengthen the military failed because of factional conflicts within the government. Still, literacy increased as a result of the spread of printing, gunpowder was used for the first time, and Confucian philosophy was revived and broadened by Chu Hsi and others. Many scholarly works were produced, including encyclopedia compilations, critical histories, and scientific treatises. With the help of government subsidies and patronage, the fine arts flourished, and connoisseurs consider Sung landscapes the greatest achievement in Chinese painting. The Southern Sung ruled until the Mongols conquered (1273-79) all of China and established the Yüan dynasty.

Kim Il Sung, 1912-94, North Korean political leader, chief of state of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1948-94); originally named Kim Sung Chu. While fighting Japanese occupation forces in the 1930s, he adopted the name Kim Il Sung after a famous Korean guerrilla leader of the early 20th cent. He was trained in Moscow before World War II, and in 1945 he became chairman of the Soviet-sponsored People's Committee of North Korea (later the Korean Workers' party). In 1948, when the People's Republic was established, he became its first premier. Between 1950 and 1953 he led his nation in the Korean War. In 1972 he relinquished the premiership but retained his position as North Korea's leader by assuming the presidency under a revised constitution. Under his rule, North Korea increased its military forces, embarked on a program of industrialization, and maintained close relations with both China and the Soviet Union. His son, Kim Jong Il, 1942-, was groomed as his successor. Active in the Korean Workers' party leadership since 1964, Kim Jong Il became secretary of its central committee in 1973. In 1991 he was appointed supreme commander of the armed forces. Upon his father's death, Kim Jong Il took over leadership of the country. He was named secretary of the Communist party in 1997 and consolidated his power with the title of National Defense Commission chairman in 1998. Although Kim has established relations with a number of Western nations, easing the North's diplomatic isolation, and hosted a meeting with South Korean president Kim Dae Jung in 2000, he did not reciprocate with a visit to the South and the North has provoked international crises to win desperately needed food and other aid.

(born April 15, 1912, Man'gyŏndae, Korea—died July 8, 1994, P'yŏngyang) Communist leader of North Korea from 1948 until his death. When Korea was effectively divided between a Soviet-occupied northern half and a U.S.-supported southern half at the end of World War II, Kim Il-sung helped establish a communist provisional government and became its first premier. The North invaded South Korea in an attempt to reunify the country, but the subsequent Korean War ended without reunification. After the war, Kim introduced a philosophy of self-reliance (juche) under which North Korea tried to develop its economy with little help from foreign countries. His omnipresent personality cult enabled him to rule unchallenged for 46 years in one of the world's most-isolated societies.

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