in the small village of Mangyongdae, situated atop a peak called Mangyungbong (만경봉(萬景峰),"All-Seeing Peak") just 12 kilometers downstream on the Taedong River from Pyongyang, Kim was the son of Kim Pohyŏn (1871–1955).

According to the North Korean official sources, he died as a result of numerous medical problems, including third-degree frostbite.

[6] It was reported that his son, Kim Il Sung, attended church services during his teenage years before becoming an atheist later in life.

[5][7] Kim Il Sung often spoke of his father's idea of chiwŏn (지원(志遠), righteous aspirations).

[8] Kim Hyong-jik is claimed by North Korea to have convened an important meeting of independence activists in November, 1921 memorialized at the Sansong Revolutionary Site.