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DPRK claims Kim Il Sung established Down-with-Imperialism Union at age 14, rewriting history to justify Kim family rule
A painting of a teenage Kim Il Sung surrounded by young men at the founding meeting of the DIU | Image: KCTV (Oct. 17, 2026)
North Korea’s celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the Down-with-Imperialism Union (DIU) this month have drawn new attention to the obscure political group, which the regime holds up as the “origin of the Korean revolution.”
Allegedly founded by Kim Il Sung in 1926, when he was just 14 years old, the DIU (타도제국주의동맹) is officially regarded as the first communist organization fighting for Korean independence and a predecessor to the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK).
But a closer look at history reveals that this narrative has little grounding in fact, falsely identifying Kim as the founder of the DIU to
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