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Kim Won-bong

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kim Won-bong
Minister of State Control
1st Cabinet of North Korea
In office
9 September 1948 – 8 May 1952
PremierKim Il Sung
Preceded byPost established
Succeeded byChoe Chang-ik
Personal details
Bornc. 1898
Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, Korean Empire
Diedc. 1958
North Korea
Political partyWorkers' Party of Korea
Spouse(s)Park Cha-jeong
Choi Dong-Seon
ChildrenKim Cheol-Geon
Kim Joong-Geon
Kim Hak-Bong
OccupationPolitician, military general
Military service
Allegiance Korea
Branch/serviceKorean Liberation Army
Years of service1941–1945
RankGeneral
Battles/warsWorld War II
Korean name
Hangul
김원봉
Hanja
Revised RomanizationKim Wonbong
McCune–ReischauerKim Wŏnpong
Art name
Hangul
약산
Hanja
若山
Revised RomanizationYaksan
McCune–ReischauerYaksan

Kim Won-bong (Korean김원봉; 1898 – c.1958) was a Korean independence activist, Korean anarchist, communist, and later statesman for North Korea.

His art name was Yaksan (약산; 若山). He used a variety of pseudonyms during his exile abroad in China, including Ch'oe Rim (최림; 崔林), Yi Ch'ung (이충; 李冲), Chin Kuk-pin (진국빈; 陳國斌), and Ch'ŏn Se-dŏk (천세덕; 千世德).[1]

Biography

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Kim was born in 1898 in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, Korean Empire. He was born to father Kim Chu-ik (김주익; 金周益) and mother Yi Kyŏng-nyŏm (이경념; 李京念) and into the Gimhae Kim clan.[1]

In his youth, he studied at a seodang, a traditional Korean school. In 1908, he enrolled in a modern-style school. In 1910, he attended the Donghwa Middle School (동화중학; 同和中學). In 1913, he attended a school in Seoul. In 1916, he was in China, learning the German language. In 1918, he enrolled in the University of Nanking.[1]

In February 1919, Kim entered the Shinhŭng Military Academy [ko] and underwent military education for six months, after which he dropped out of the academy. On November 9 of the same year, Kim organized a Korean nationalist underground organization known as the Korean Heroic Corps, with Yang Gun-ho, Gwak Jae-ki, Han Bong-Geun, Kim Ok, and others. Among the Heroic Corps aims were the assassinations of Japanese officials and their collaborators, coupled with attacks on Japanese bases. After assuming the position of leader of the Heroic Corps,[1] Kim found that he could not accomplish the aims of the organization as it did not have a sufficient number of members. As a result, he joined the Whampoa Military Academy in 1926. Kim used the pseudonym "Ch'oe Rim" and organized the Korean National Revolutionary Party, and the Joseon Communist Reconstruction Party.[2]

The Korean National Revolutionary Party was formed in Shanghai in 1935 by a group of left-wing nationalist Korean parties, organized by Kim Kyu-sik, Kim Won-bong and Cho Soang.[3] On July 10, 1937, at the invitation of the Government of the Republic of China, Kim Won-bong went to Lushan, the Chinese government's conference site and famed resort. During his time there, Chinese government officials insisted upon associating the united front against Japanese Imperialism. Before his return, Kim received extensive funding from the Chinese governor.[1]

Kim served as the deputy commander of the Korean Liberation Army of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea.[4]

Legacy

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "김원봉 (金元鳳)" [Kim Won-bong]. Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  2. ^ 이우탁 (Lee Woo-tak) (2006). 《김구, 장보고, 앙드레김(Kim Gu, Jang Bo-Go, André Kim)》. 동아시아(East-Asia). 142p
  3. ^ Pratt, Keith L.; Rutt, Richard (1999), "Korean National Revolutionary Party", Korea: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary, Psychology Press, p. 236, ISBN 978-0-7007-0464-4, retrieved 2016-03-20
  4. ^ Jo, Dong-geol (1995). 독립군의 길따라 대륙을 가다 [Following the Path of the Independence Army to the Continent] (in Korean). 지식산업사. p. 267.

Further reading

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