Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

Choe Kwang (; July 17, 1918 – February 21, 1997) was a military leader in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

Biography

Kwang graduated from the Soviet Military School and was a captain in the Northeast Anti-Japanese Army until the end of the Japanese occupation. In February 1948, he took office as the 1st Division Commander of the Korean People's Army. In September 1948, he was elected to the Supreme People's Assembly. In June 1950, the 13th Division Commander of the Chosun People's Army and in October 1952, Kang Kun-Gun School (currently Kang-Gun General School) was inaugurated. In October 1953, he became the commander of the 5th Corps of the Chosun People's Army, and in January 1954, he was promoted to Lieutenant General of the Chosun People's Army and became the Chief of Staff of the 1st Corps. In April 1956, he was elected as a candidate for the Central Committee of the Party at the 3rd Party Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea. In June 1958, he became the commander of the Air Force, and in June 1960, he was promoted to the Korean People's Army. In September 1961, he was elected as the central member of the party at the 4th Party Congress. In September 1962 he became vice of the National Security Agency (Abolished in 1972 and reorganized into the

Ministry of People's Armed Forces The Ministry of Defence (, formerly 인민무력성/人民武力省 or Ministry of the People's Armed Forces) is the government agency under the State Affairs Commission tasked with general administrative and logistical coordination of the Kor ...

). In February 1963, he was promoted to Captain of the Korean People's Army and became the Chief of General of Staff. On October 2, 1966, he was elected as a candidate for the Political Committee of the Party at the 2nd Party Delegates' Meeting, and in December 1967 he was elected to the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly. However, in March 1969, he was dismissed and became a mining worker. In April 1976, he was reinstated while taking office as chairman of the People's Committee of the

South Hwanghae Province South Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaenamdo; , lit. "south Yellow Sea province") is a province in western North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital i ...

. At the 6th Party Congress in October 1980, he was elected to the Central Committee of the WPK and the candidate member of the Political Bureau. In March 1981, he became Deputy Prime Minister Jung Moo-won. In April 1982, Jung Moo-won was inaugurated as Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Fisheries Committee. On February 12, 1988, he withdrew from the deputy prime minister and transferred to the military. He was inaugurated as the Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army and a member of the

Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea The Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (CMC) () is an organ of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) which heads the Korean People's Army (KPA). One of the CMC's primary functions is to authorize ...

. On May 23, 1990, he was elected a member of the Party's Political Bureau at the 18th Plenary Session of the 6th Party Central Committee, and took office as vice-president of the

National Defence Commission The National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (NDC) was the highest state institution for military and national defence leadership in North Korea, which also served as the highest governing institution of the countr ...

. In 1991, he was elected as a member of the Party's Central Military Committee, and on April 20, 1992, he was granted the title of Deputy General of the Korean People's Army. On October 8, 1995, he was appointed Minister of the People's Armed Forces. and was awarded the rank of Marshal of the Korean People's Army. He was one of three military officers in the North Korean Armed Forces who reached rank of ''

Wonsu is the highest military rank in the armed forces of Korean People's Army, North Korea and Republic of Korea Army, South Korea. Historical The title of ''Wonsu'' or its variations had been used as the title of high-ranking military commanders ...

'' (Marshal) with the title "Marshal of the Korean People's Army".

Death and funeral

Choe died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on February 21, 1997. On his funeral committee were: #

Kim Jong Il Kim Jong Il (born Yuri Kim; 16 February 1941 or 1942 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader of North Korea from Death and state funeral of Kim Il Sung, the de ...

# Ri Jong-ok # Pak Song-chol # Kim Yong-ju #

Kim Yong-nam Kim Yong-nam (; born 4 February 1928) is a North Korean retired politician who served as the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, from 1998 until 2019. Due to holding the office, he was considered the hea ...

Ri Ul-sol Ri Ul-sol (; 14 September 1921 – 7 November 2015) was a Politics of North Korea, North Korean politician and military official. He played an important role in the administrations of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, achieving the rank of Wonsu, ma ...

# Jo Myong-rok # Kim Yong-chun # Kye Ung-thae # Chon Pyong-ho # Han Song-ryong # Kim Chol-man #

Choe Thae-bok Choe Thae-bok (; 1 December 1930 – 20 January 2024) was a North Korean politician. He was a member of the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Workers' Party of Korea, and was chairman (speaker) of the Supreme People's Assembly for nearly 21 ...

Yang Hyong-sop Yang Hyong-sop (; 1 October 1925 – 13 May 2022) was a North Korean politician who served as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly from 1983 to 1998 (from 1994 it was f ...

# Chon Un-sop # Hong Song-nam #

Hong Sok-hyong Hong Sok-hyong () is a politician of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He was secretary of the WPK Central Committee and Director of the WPK Planning and Finance Department. Biography Born in Seoul in 1936 during the Japanese occupati ...

# Kim Kuk-thae # Kim Ki-nam # Kim Jung-rin # Kim Yong-sun # Yun Ki-bok # Kim Kwang-chin # Paek Hak-rim # Kim Ik-hyon # Ri Tu-ik # Choe In-tok # Hwang Sun-hui # Choe Song-suk # Kim Yong-yon # Ri Jong-san # Kim Jong-kak # O Ryong-pang # Ri Pyong-uk # Jong Chang-ryol # Ri Yong-su # Kim Ha-kyu # Hyon Chol-hae #

Won Ung-hui Won Ung-hui (; 1939 – May 15, 2004) was a North Korean politician and military officer, served as commander of the Military Security Command of the Korean People's Army. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, ...

# Pak Jae-kyong # Ri Myong-su # Kim Tae-sik # Ok Pong-ran # Kim Myong-kuk # Kim Kyok-sik # Chang Song-u # Chon Chin-su # Ju Sang-song # Kim Il-chol # Kang Tong-yon # Pak Ki-song # Ri Yong-chol # Kim Yong-un # Chon Jae-son # Yo Chun-sok # Kim Song-kyu # Jong Ho-kyun # Paek Sang-ho # Ri Thaek-chol # O Kum-chol # Ri Yong-hwan # Kim Hyong-ryong # Chon Chi-ryon # Choe Sang-ryo # Ri Pyong-sam # Chi Yong-jun # Kim Ki-son # Pak Sung-won # An Pi-tuk # Ri Pong-ju # Kim Sung-yon # Ri Chang-han # Jong Thae-kun # Yom Chol-song # Pyon Sang-mo # Kim Mun-hong # Ri Chu-ul # Han Tae-myon # Son Chol-ju # Kim Sang-thae # Choe Ho-jun # Tong Yong-il # Kim Ki-nam # Paek Bo-kyong # Kim Tu-nam

References