The North Korean system of orders and medals saw periods of expansion and stagnation through the 1950s and 1960s, but in the early 1970s, major additions were made. Of these, the most important one was the addition of the Order of Kim Il Sung to the list of titles. The order was instituted on 20 March 1972 on the occasion of the 60th birthday of Kim Il Sung. At about the same time, North Korea also started awarding watches with Kim Il Sung's autograph on them. Likewise, it is claimed that Kim Jong Il was to be the first recipient of the order, but he declined it and received the honor only in 1979. In 2012, all orders bearing the picture of Kim Il Sung, including the Order of Kim Il Sung, were redesigned with a newer picture of Kim. At some point before that, the order had become a five-pointed star, being formerly round. It is possible that all old versions were recalled and changed to the new one. The Order of Kim Il Sung is similar in appearance to the Soviet
Order of Lenin. Uniquely, the Order of Kim Il Sung was the only state order named after a living ruler from its inception until the establishment of the . Order of Kim Il Sung type 1.jpg|The original order ==Eligibility==