15 Notable alumni of Kim Il Sung University
Updated: June 08, 2026 EliteDegrees
Kim Il Sung University is ranked #6,930 in the world and #1 in North Korea by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 15 notable alumni from Kim Il Sung University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Kim Il Sung University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Andrei Lankov
1963-. (aged 63)
historian
orientalist
university teacher
koreanologist
Andrei Nikolaevich Lankov is a Russian scholar of Asia and specialist in Korean studies and Director of Korea Risk Group, the parent company of NK News and NK Pro.
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2. Hwang Pyong-so
politician
Hwang Pyong-so is a North Korean general and politician who held the rank of Vice Marshal (Korean: ́°΅ˆ˜, Ch'asu) in the Korean People's Army (KPA). He was a member of the Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea and the top-ranking vice-chairman of the State Affairs Commission.
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3. Kim Yang-gon
1942-2015 (aged 73)
politician
Kim Yang-gon was a North Korean politician and a senior official of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.
4. Ho Dam
1929-1991 (aged 62)
miner
politician
Ho Dam was a prominent North Korean politician and diplomat who served as the country's Foreign Minister from 1970 to 1983. Over his career, Ho Dam held several key positions within the North Korean government, including membership in the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairmanship of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland. He played...
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5. Kim Song-hye
1965-. (aged 61)
politician
Kim Song-hye is a North Korean politician. As the head of the Secretarial Bureau of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRK), she has taken part in numerous negotiations between North and South Korea. She has participated in talks at the 2000 inter-Korean summit, the 15th and 16th North–South Ministerial Talks in 2005, the 2007 inter-Korean summit,...
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6. Choe Ryong-hae
1950-. (aged 76)
politician
Choe Ryong-hae is a North Korean politician and military officer who currently serves as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and First Vice President of the State Affairs Commission, holding both positions since April 2019.
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7. Zhang Dejiang
1946-. (aged 80)
politician
Zhang Dejiang is a Chinese retired politician who served as the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress between 2013 and 2018. He was also the third-ranking member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party from 2012 to 2017.
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8. Kim Pyong-il
1954-. (aged 72)
diplomat
politician
Kim Pyong Il is the younger paternal half-brother of the late leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Il, and the only surviving son of former leader and president of North Korea Kim Il Sung. He worked as a diplomat and lived overseas between 1979 and 2019, serving in various diplomatic positions such as ambassador of North Korea to Hungary, Bulgaria,...
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9. Kim Jong-un
1984-. (aged 42)
politician
Kim Jong Un is a North Korean politician who serves as both the general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the president of the State Affairs Commission. A member of the Kim family, he is the third supreme leader and dictator of North Korea, as well as the fifth child of Kim Jong Il, his predecessor as...
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10. Ri Sol-ju
1989-. (aged 37)
singer
Ri Sol-ju is the current First Lady of North Korea as the wife of Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
11. Kim Yo-jong
1987-. (aged 39)
diplomat
politician
Kim Yo Jong is a North Korean politician and diplomat, and sister of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Jong Un. She is the deputy department director of the Publicity and Information Department of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Since September 2021, she has been a member of State Affairs Commission of North Korea.
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12. Mohammad-Hassan Nami
1953-. (aged 73)
geographer
Mohammad-Hassan Nami is an Iranian military officer who formerly served as the Head of Crisis Management Organization of the Iran country from 2022 to 2024.
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13. Kim Kyong-hui
1946-. (aged 80)
politician
military officer
Kim Kyong-hui is the aunt of current North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un. She is the daughter of the founding North Korean leader Kim Il Sung and the sister of the late leader Kim Jong Il. She currently serves as Secretary for Organization of the Workers' Party of Korea. An important member of Kim Jong Il's inner circle of trusted...
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14. Kim Yong-nam
1928-2025 (aged 97)
diplomat
politician
Kim Yong-nam was a North Korean politician who served as the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, from 1998 until 2019. Due to holding the office, he was considered the head of state of North Korea; the country's constitution was amended once he left office in 2019 to transfer this position to the President...
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15. Kim Jong-il
1941-2011 (aged 70)
film producer
television director
film actor
military personnel
voice actor
Kim Jong Il was a North Korean politician and dictator who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from the death of his father Kim Il Sung in 1994 until his own death in 2011. Posthumously, Kim Jong Il was declared an Eternal Leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).
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