11. Kim Il-sung (North Korea)
Kim Il-sung established a totalitarian regime in North Korea, leading the country from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. In 1950, he initiated the Korean War by invading South Korea, aiming to reunify the peninsula under his rule (eastasia.wisc.). The war ended in 1953 with an armistice, leaving the peninsula divided along the 38th parallel. Under Kim’s leadership, North Korea became one of the most militarized societies globally, maintaining a large standing army and developing nuclear weapons.
