Han Ik-su ( ko, 한익수; October 15, 1912 – September 5, 1978) was North Korean politician and militarist, guerrilla fighter, ambassador to China, member of the

Politburo of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea In North Korea, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), or simply the Politburo, formerly the Political Committee (1946–61), is the highest decision-making body in the ruling party between sessions ...

, and the Central Committee Auditing Committee Chairman.한익수
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Biography

Han Ik-su was born into a poor peasant family on October 15, 1912 in

Longjing, Jilin Longjing (; Chosŏn'gŭl: 룡정; Hangul: 룽징) is a county-level city in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, southeastern Jilin province, China. It lies on the Tumen River opposite the North Korean city Hoeryong. Its population is appr ...

, China. He joined the , the predecessor of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the '' Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General S ...

in 1931, and participated in the

Battle of Pochonbo The was an event which occurred in northern Korea on 4 June 1937 ( Juche 26), when Korean and Chinese guerrillas commanded by Kim Il-sung (or possibly Choe Hyon) attacked and defeated a Japanese detachment during the anti-Japanese armed struggl ...

with

Kim Il-sung Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

and others in 1937. In 1945, Japan surrendered and the end of World War II, Han Ik-su continued to serve the North Korean government, and later became the company commander. Later, he was appointed as the principal of Kang Kon Military Academy (). Before the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

broke out, he had been promoted to general. In 1961, he became a member of the Party Central Committee. From 1962 to 64, he was sent to Beijing as an ambassador to China, and was elected as a member of the

Supreme People's Assembly The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; ) is the unicameral legislature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. It consists of one deputy from each of the DPRK's 687 constituencies, elected to five-year ...

in the same period. In 1968, he was promoted to director of the

General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army The General Political Bureau (GPB) is the internal politburo of the Korean People's Army (KPA), used by the leadership of the North Korean government to exert political control over the military. The GPB is subordinate to the Ministry of Defence an ...

. The following year, he was elected as an alternate member of the Political Bureau. In 1970, Han Ik-su became a member of the Political Committee following the 5th Congress of the

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of ...

. Two years later, he was awarded Kim Il Sung Order. In 1977, he was appointed chairman of the review committee of the Party Central Committee. After dying the following year, the Pyongyang government buried him in the

Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery Taesongsan Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery () is a cemetery and memorial to the North Korean soldiers fighting for freedom and independence against Japanese rule. It is located near the top of Mount Taesong (Taesongsan) in the Taesong-guyŏk, ...

in recognition of his credit and cast a bust of him.

Works

References

1912 births 1978 deaths Workers' Party of Korea politicians North Korean diplomats Members of the Supreme People's Assembly People from Yanbian {{NorthKorea-mil-bio-stub