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Choe Hyon

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In this Korean name, the family name is Choe.
Choe Hyon
최현
Choe Hyon in 1945
Vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission
In office
28 December 1972 – 9 April 1982
Serving with O Jin-u and O Paek-yong
ChairmanKim Il Sung
Member of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea
In office
1970s–1982
LeaderKim Il Sung
Minister of People's Armed Forces
In office
25 December 1972 – 15 December 1977
PremierPak Song-chol
Kim Il
Preceded byKim Chang-bong
Succeeded byO Jin-u
Personal details
Born(1907-05-06)6 May 1907
Hunchun, Jilin, China
Died9 April 1982(1982-04-09) (aged 74)
Pyongyang, North Korea[citation needed]
CitizenshipNorth Korean
NationalityKorean
Political partyWorkers' Party of Korea
Other political
affiliations		Chinese Communist Party (before 1945)
Children
Military service
AllegianceKorean People's Army
Years of service1946–82
CommandsII Corps
1st Infantry Division
Battles/wars
See battles

Korean independence movement

Chinese Civil War

World War II

Korean War

Choe Hyon (Korean: 최현, 6 May 1907 – 9 April 1982), also known as Sai Ken (after the Japanese pronunciation of his name),[1][2] was a North Korean general and politician.

Born in China to ethnic Korean parents, Choe fought in the anti-Japanese struggle from a young age. He became one of the most important military leaders of the armed resistance in Manchuria. He led troops in the Battle of Pochonbo. This was later attributed to Kim Il Sung in North Korean propaganda. The two were, however, close friends during and after the guerrilla years. After the liberation of Korea, the guerrillas chose Kim among themselves to be the leader of North Korea, even though Choe was his senior and had a higher rank in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

In North Korea, Choe assumed command of the highly strategic Kanggye Regiment of the 1st Division in the newly organized Korean People's Army (KPA). During the Korean War, he commanded the KPA II Corps. After the war, Choe was given posts in the politics of North Korea, including the office of Minister of People's Armed Forces, which he held from 1968 until 1976. During this time, several ex-guerrillas were purged (see Kapsan faction incident), but Choe maintained his position thanks to his personal relationship with Kim Il Sung.

Early life

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Original photo of Choe Hyon (center) with Kim Il-sung (left). North Korea later edited it placing Kim in the center to emphasize his role.[3]

Choe Hyon was born on 6 May 1907 in Hunchun, Jilin, China.[4][5] Choe's father was Choe Hwa-shim. Hwa-shim had served in the Hong Beom-do Unit of the Korean Independence Army in the early 1900s. His mother reportedly died in 1920 after the Japanese invaded Manchuria to suppress the March 1st Movement. As such, Choe Hyon had an advantageous revolutionary background.[6]

The Japanese arrested Choe in 1925 and put him in jail in Yanji for seven years.[6] Upon his release, Choe joined the anti-Japanese guerrilla movement in July 1932 after Japanese conquered Manchuria.[6][7] Thereafter, Choe fought as a guerrilla in the anti-Japanese struggle.[8] He rose to a leadership position in the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army of the Chinese,[9] and became a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).[10] Choe also fought in the Soviet 88th Brigade after the United Army retreated to Soviet.[11]

The Battle of Pochonbo in 1937 is highly important in the North Korean cult of personality of Kim Il Sung as its victory is attributed to him. Some evidence, however, point to the conclusion that it was Choe Hyon, not Kim Il Sung, who commanded the troops that raided Pochonbo.[12] Choe reportedly also led troops into battle in Musan and Gansanbong.[6]

The army led by Choe was one of the main targets of the Japanese during a phase of the Pacification of Manchukuo that began in 1939.[13] Dennis Halpin concludes in The National Interest that "Choe Hyon may well have been the key leader in the anti-Japanese colonial struggle in Manchuria and along the Korean border". According to Halpin, this discredits the revolutionary legitimacy of the Kim dynasty and lends it to Choe Hyon's son, Choe Ryong-hae, instead.[6] North Korea has subsequently edited photographs from this era to emphasize Kim's role.[3]

Choe Hyon was a close associate of Kim Il Sung during their guerrilla years.[14] Choe was older than Kim Il Sung. As such, Choe did not have to use honorifics when speaking to him,[6] although according to Kim Il Sung's autobiography With the Century, this was at Kim's insistence.[15]

Career after the liberation of Korea

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The Soviets grooming Kim Il Sung for leadership of Korea. At one time, Choe seemed like the likelier candidate.

After the liberation of Korea, Choe was brought into the politics of North Korea as part of the Guerrilla faction, a group of about 200 ex-guerillas.[16] There is evidence that the top guerrillas, including Kim Il Sung, Kim Chaek, Kim Il, Choe Yong-gon, and Choe Hyon himself, agreed among themselves to promote Kim Il Sung as the leader of the future country just before they returned to Korea in September 1945. This was at odds with the fact that both Kim Chaek and Choe Hyon were higher-ranking members in the CCP. It was decided, however, that Kim Il Sung had the best reputation and abilities. Choe consequentially missed out on the supreme leadership of the country, but became part of its core elite nonetheless.[10]

After the liberation, the Korean People's Army (KPA) was organized.[17] Choe become the commander of the Kanggye Regiment of the 1st Division. The regiment was of particular strategic importance because of its location in Kanggye.[18] Choe also led the Military Liberation College that trained special forces.[11] Additionally, Choe commanded the 2nd Division of the KPA and,[19] during the Korean War, the II Corps.[20]

After the Korean War

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After the Korean War, Choe became a member of the 3rd Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in 1956.[21] Choe rose in the ranks of the party in the late 1960s at a "spectacular" rate.[22] He had been chairman of the party's Military Affairs Commission since 1965, but lacked a seat in the Political Committee,[23] to which he was then appointed in October 1966 as a full member,[4] skipping the usual stage of being an alternate member first.[23] In the late 1960s–early 1970s, Choe was one of the most powerful individuals in North Korean politics and military. As a member of the Central Military Commission of the WPK, Choe was one of "the seven most powerful men in North Korea". With his post as the Minister of People's Armed Forces, Choe was "probably the most powerful individual in the military area other than Kim Il-sŏng himself".[24] By this time, Choe was Kim's best personal friend and renowned for his guerrilla past.[25] Choe lived in high-end neighborhood of Changkwang-dong, near Kim Il Sung's mansion.[26]

Choe became Minister of People's Armed Forces in late 1968,[27][24] succeeding Choe Kwang,[24] after serving as the vice minister first.[28] Choe served as the minister until 1976,[29] when O Jin-u replaced him "for health reasons".[30] Choe was made minister not for his education – he was "nearly illiterate" – but for his loyalty.[25] Although some members of the Guerrilla faction were purged in the 1960s, Choe maintained his position power.[8] He became a member in the Politburo of the WPK at the 5th Congress of the WPK in 1970 and retained this position after the 6th Congress in 1980.[31] During this time in particular, Choe had considerable power in the army.[32] He remained at the top of the military until the end of his career.[33] Choe had a talent for unconventional warfare in particular.[11]

Death and legacy

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Choe published an autobiography, Over the Mountain-Waves of Mt. Paektu. Robert A. Scalapino and Chong-Sik Lee critically assess it as follows: "Though very revealing, some sections, particularly on his first encounters with Kim Il-sŏng, are so propagandistic as to be largely unreliable".[1] Choe's first encounter with Kim are also recounted in Choe's memoir "The Unforgettable First Meeting" in Reminiscences of the Anti-Japanese Guerillas,[34] and in Kim Il Sung's autobiography, With the Century.[35] A meeting with Choe inspired the poet Cho Ki-chon to write his epic poem, Mt. Paektu, in 1947 about the Battle of Pochonbo.[36] The resulting poem was a foundational work of Kim Il-sung's cult of personality.[37] Choe's life is also chronicled in the 55th installment of the multi-part film Nation and Destiny.[38]

Choe died on 9 April 1982.[39] The 30th anniversary of his death in 2012 was marked prominently in North Korea. A memorial service was held,[27] wreaths were laid at the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery,[40] and the Korean Central News Agency published an article praising him. This came at a time when his son Choe Ryong-hae rose up in the ranks of the WPK and was heavily featured at the 4th Conference of the WPK and an annual meeting of the SPA.[27][41]

Choe held the title of Hero of the Republic.[4] Choe's son is Choe Ryong-hae (born 1950).[41] He also had a daughter, Gop-dan.[26]

Works

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  • Choe Hyon (1970). "The Unforgettable First Meeting". Reminiscences of the Anti-Japanese Guerillas. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. OCLC 869368184.
  • Kim Il; Choe Hyon; et al. (1981). Twenty-year-long Anti-Japanese Revolution Under the Red Sunrays: June 1926 – August 1931. Vol. 1. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. OCLC 873742698.
  • —; —; et al. (1982). Twenty-year-long Anti-Japanese Revolution Under the Red Sunrays: September 1931 – February 1936. Vol. 2. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. OCLC 914716941.
  • Sai Ken [Choe Hyon] (1964). 白頭の山なみを越えて [Over the Mountain-Waves of Mt. Paektu] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Chōsen Seinensha. OCLC 674619272.
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References

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  1. ^ a b Scalapino & Lee 1972, p. 1446.
  2. ^ Kim 1993, p. 324.
  3. ^ a b Lee Young-jong (3 June 2014). "Jong-un's Japan deal could be tough". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Intelligence Report 1968, p. 26.
  5. ^ 최현(崔賢) [Choe Hyon]. Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean). Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Halpin, Dennis P. (23 April 2014). "Welcome to North Korea's Game of Thrones". The National Interest. p. 2. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  7. ^ "Choe Hyon, Anti-Japanese Revolutionary Fighter". KCNA. 10 April 2012. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017.
  8. ^ a b Juergen 2001, p. 279.
  9. ^ Dae-Sook Suh (1995). Kim Il Sung: The North Korean Leader. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 15–54. ISBN 978-0-231-06573-3.
  10. ^ a b Cumings, Bruce (2005). Korea's Place in the Sun: A Modern History (Updated ed.). New York: W. W. Norton. p. 195. ISBN 978-0-393-34753-1.
  11. ^ a b c Rawnsley, Adam (8 February 2018). "In 1969, North Korea Almost Unleashed World War III (And Now We Know Why)". The National Interest. p. 2. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  12. ^ Ryall, Julian (2 April 2014). "Rival to Kim's regime among 200 on verge of being purged". The Telegraph. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  13. ^ Cumings, Bruce (2010). The Korean War: A History. New York: Modern Library. p. 54. ISBN 978-0-679-60378-8.
  14. ^ Kosuke Takahashi (19 July 2012). "What's Going On In North Korea?". The Diplomat. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  15. ^ Kim 1993, pp. 300–301.
  16. ^ Juergen 2001, p. 275.
  17. ^ Scalapino & Lee 1972, p. 923.
  18. ^ Scalapino & Lee 1972, p. 925.
  19. ^ Wada Haruki (2018). The Korean War: An International History. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 145. ISBN 978-1-5381-1642-5.
  20. ^ Ryuta Itagaki (2017). "Language and Family Dispersion: North Korean Linguist Kim Sugyŏng and the Korean War". Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review. 6 (1): 151–176. doi:10.1353/ach.2017.0006. ISSN 2158-9674.
  21. ^ Lankov, Andrei (2007). Crisis in North Korea: The Failure of De-Stalinization, 1956. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-8248-3207-0.
  22. ^ Intelligence Report 1968, p. iii.
  23. ^ a b Intelligence Report 1968, p. 15.
  24. ^ a b c Scalapino & Lee 1972, p. 935.
  25. ^ a b Hamm 2012, p. 144.
  26. ^ a b Martin 2007, p. 301.
  27. ^ a b c Foster-Carter, Aidan (22 April 2012). "Party Time is Over". 38 North. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  28. ^ Intelligence Report 1968, pp. 25–26.
  29. ^ Hamm 2012, p. 23.
  30. ^ "North Korea, Citing Health. Replaces Defense Minister". The New York Times. AFP. 17 May 1976. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  31. ^ Buzo 2017, Table 4.1.
  32. ^ Buzo 2017, p. 29.
  33. ^ Buzo 2017, p. 67n72.
  34. ^ Choe Hyon (1970). "The Unforgettable First Meeting". Reminiscences of the Anti-Japanese Guerillas. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. OCLC 869368184.
  35. ^ Kim 1993, see esp. Chapter 11. "The Watershed of the Revolution", Part 5. "Choe Hyon, a Veteran General".
  36. ^ Gabroussenko 2005, p. 69.
  37. ^ Gabroussenko 2005, p. 87.
  38. ^ Schönherr 2014, pp. 184, 187.
  39. ^ 기자, 고수석 (8 December 2016). "[인민무력부장傳(5)] 최현, 숨겨진 김정일 킹메이커(하)". 중앙일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  40. ^ "Wreaths Laid before Bust of Choe Hyon". KCNA. 10 April 2012. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  41. ^ a b "Choe Ryong Hae (Ch'oe Ryong-hae)". North Korea Leadership Watch. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.

Works cited

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Choe Hyon.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of People's Armed Forces
1968–1976 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
 Vice Minister of People's Armed Forces
–1968 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
 Chairmen of the Military Affairs Commission
December 1960s– 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
 Member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea
31 December 1970–1982 		Succeeded by
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