Han Ik-su (; October 15, 1912 – September 5, 1978) was a North Korean politician and militarist, guerrilla fighter, ambassador to China, member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, 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, China. He joined the , the predecessor of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Ground Force, the Ko ...

in 1931, and participated in the Battle of Pochonbo 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 led as its first Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader from North Korea#Founding, its establishm ...

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 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 ...

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 legislature of North Korea. It is ostensibly the highest organ of state power and the only branch of government in North Korea, with all state organs subservient to it under the principle of unified ...

in the same period. In 1968, he was promoted to director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army. 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), also called the Korean Workers' Party (KWP), is the sole ruling party of North Korea. Founded in 1949 from a merger between the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea, the WPK is ...

. 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 North Korean 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 Korea under Japanese rule, Japanese rule. The 30-hectare site is located near the top of Mount Ta ...

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

Works

References

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