Kim Won-bong
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|
Kim Won-bong | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of State Control | |
| 1st Cabinet of North Korea | |
| In office 9 September 1948 – 8 May 1952 | |
| Premier | Kim Il Sung |
| Preceded by | Post established |
| Succeeded by | Choe Chang-ik |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1898 Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, Korean Empire |
| Died | c. 1958 North Korea |
| Political party | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Other political affiliations | Korean National Revolutionary Party |
| Spouse(s) | Park Cha-jeong Choi Dong-Seon |
| Children | Kim Cheol-Geon Kim Joong-Geon Kim Hak-Bong |
| Occupation | Politician, military general |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Korea |
| Branch/service | Korean Liberation Army |
| Years of service | 1941–1945 |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 김원봉 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Kim Wonbong |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Wŏnpong |
| Art name | |
| Hangul | 약산 |
| Hanja | 若山 |
| Revised Romanization | Yaksan |
| McCune–Reischauer | Yaksan |
Kim Won-bong (Korean: 김원봉; 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
[edit]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 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
[edit]Kim Won-Bong remains a controversial figure in South Korea due to his defection to North Korea in 1948, and serving as North Korean Commander during the Korean War. On June 6, 2019 South Korean President Moon Jae-in gave a Memorial Day speech at Seoul National Cemetery, praising Kim Wong-Bong's activities in the Korean independence movement. The speech was slammed by Conservative Lawmakers.[5]
In popular culture
[edit]- Portrayed by Cho Seung-woo in the 2015 film Assassination.
- Portrayed by Yoo Ji-tae in the 2019 MBC TV series Different Dreams.
See also
[edit]- Blue Shirts Society, an anti-communist organization, but supported Kim before Second China Civil War.
- Heroic Corps
- Korean independence movement
References
[edit]
- ^ 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.
- ^ 이우탁 (Lee Woo-tak) (2006). 《김구, 장보고, 앙드레김(Kim Gu, Jang Bo-Go, André Kim)》. 동아시아(East-Asia). 142p
- ^ 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
- ^ Jo, Dong-geol (1995). 독립군의 길따라 대륙을 가다 [Following the Path of the Independence Army to the Continent] (in Korean). 지식산업사. p. 267.
- ^ "Defense ministry may record historical facts about Kim Won-bong". The Korea Times. 6 Jun 2019.
Further reading
[edit]- Ha Shin Ae. "아나키스트의 눈과 탈식민적 국제 연대의 상상－박태원의 『약산과 의열단』 (1946)을 중심으로－". 동아시아문화연구 (in Korean). Vol. 76. OCLC 8024938818.
- Park Jin-hai (April 10, 2019). "Drama portrays life of freedom fighter". The Korea Times. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- Park Tae-won (2015). Yaksan and Uiyeoldan [약산 과 의열단: 김 원봉 의 항일 투쟁 암살 보고서] (in Korean) (Kaejŏngp'an ed.). Sŏul T'ŭkpyŏlsi: 깊은 샘. ISBN 978-89-7416-242-9. OCLC 930395245.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- Kim Won-bong
- 1898 births
- 1958 deaths
- Korean anarchists
- Korean communists
- North Korean atheists
- Suicides by cyanide poisoning
- Korean generals
- Kim Kyu-sik
- Gimhae Kim clan
- Far-left politics in South Korea
- Whampoa Military Academy alumni
- Members of the 1st Supreme People's Assembly
- Members of the 2nd Supreme People's Assembly
- 1958 suicides
- South Korean emigrants to North Korea
- Suicides in Korea
- Members of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea
- Koreans in the Republic of China Military Academy
- Kim Ku
- Korean resistance members
- Yan'an faction
- Korean Liberation Army personnel