Choe Deok-sin (; September 17, 1914 – November 14, 1989) was a South Korean

Foreign Minister In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

who later

defected In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state. More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, ca ...

with his wife, Ryu Mi-yong, to North Korea. Choe was born in

Uiju County Ŭiju is a kun, or county, in North Pyongan Province, North Korea. The county has an area of 420 km2, and a population of 110,018 (2008 data). Name Ŭiju appears as Uiju in South Korea's Revised Romanization and as Yizhou in Chinese sourc ...

North Pyongan Province North Pyongan Province (also spelled North P'yŏngan; ; ) is a western provinces of North Korea, province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Pyongan Province, P'yŏng'an Province, remained a pro ...

. In 1936, he graduated from the

Republic of China Military Academy The Republic of China Military Academy ( zh, t=中華民國陸軍軍官學校, p=Zhōnghúa Mīngúo Lùjūn Jūnguān Xúexiào, poj=Tiong-hôa Bîn-kok Lio̍k-kun Kun-koaⁿ Ha̍k-hāu), also known as the Chinese Military Academy (CMA), is ...

, and served as a

Republic of China Army The Republic of China Army ( Chinese, 中華民國陸軍) also known as the ROC Army (ROCA); colloquially the Taiwanese Army ( Chinese, 台湾陆军) by western or mainland Chinese media, or commonly referred as the National Military Army ( Chi ...

officer. By the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Choe had been promoted to colonel. After the war Choe returned to South Korea and entered the national army academy as a second lieutenant. In 1949, Choe entered the United States Military Academy. On July 14, 1950, Choe returned to South Korea. Choe served as a commanding general of the South Korean 11th Division under the United States IX Corps during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. His division carried out the Sancheong-Hamyang and Geochang massacres. After the

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

, from 1961 to 1963, Choe served as a

and

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. In 1986, Choe relocated with his wife Ryu Mi-yong to North Korea from their exile in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where they had been known for their opposition to the policies of the South Korean military government. Choe served as a chief of the central committee of the

Chondogyo Cheondoism (Hanja: 天道敎; spelled Chondoism in North Korea) is a Korean indigenous religion that emerged as a continuation and development of Donghak, which was founded by Choe Je-u (Su-un) in 1860 during the late Joseon Dynasty as an anti ...

religious movement and vice-chairman of the

Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK; ) was a North Korean state agency aimed at promoting Korean reunification. The committee was tasked with relations with South Korea, which could not be handled through official chann ...

. 3 years later, in 1989, Choe died at the age of 75. Choe's son, Choe In-guk, reportedly defected to North Korea in July 2019.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Choe, Deok-sin 1914 births 1989 deaths People from Uiju County Chondoist Chongu Party politicians Ministers of foreign affairs of South Korea Government ministers of South Korea Ambassadors of South Korea to West Germany South Korean diplomats South Korean generals Military personnel of the Republic of China in the Second Sino-Japanese War South Korean military personnel of the Korean War Koreans in the Republic of China Military Academy South Korean defectors South Korean emigrants to North Korea Members of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea Korean resistance members Korean war criminals Perpetrators of political repression in South Korea Korean Liberation Army personnel Burials at the Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery

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