We are thrilled to bring you a brand new episode of Dictators today and for the foreseeable future. We thank you for your patience during this unprecedented time.

He rose from anti-Japanese freedom to the leader of a Soviet-led puppet government in North Korea. But just as North Korea gained its independence, Kim Il-sung led the country to the brink of extinction, by dragging it into a costly and destructive civil war against South Korea and the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices