Choe Yong-gon (army commander)
| Choe Yong-gon | |
|---|---|
| 최용건 Ch'oe Yonggŏn |
|
Choe Yong-gon in 1949.
|
|
| Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly | |
|
In office 20 September 1957 – 28 December 1972 |
|
| Premier | Kim Il-sung |
| Preceded by | Kim Tu-bong |
| Succeeded by | Kim Il-sung |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 21, 1900 North Pyongan, Korea |
| Died | 19 September, 1976 (aged 75) Pyongyang, North Korea |
| Nationality | Korean |
| Political party | KSDP |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 North Korea
|
| Service/branch | Korean People's Army |
| Years of service | 1948–1976 |
| Rank |
 Ch'asu (Vice Marshal)
|
| Commands | Supreme Commander |
| Battles/wars | Korean War |
| Choe Yong-gon | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 최용건 |
|---|---|
| Hancha | 崔庸健 |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Yonggeon |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Yonggŏn |
Choe Yong-gon (최용건, June 21, 1900 – September 19, 1976) was the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army from 1948 to 1950, North Korean defence minister from 1948 to 1957, and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea from 1957 to 1972.
Choe Yong-gon was born in Taechon County (태천군, 泰川郡) in North Pyongan, Korea, in 1900. After having attended two military academies, he fought in the Chinese Northern Expedition of 1927 and took part in the Canton Communist riots in December later that year. He led a guerrilla unit against the Japanese after they occupied Manchuria in September 1931.
In 1946, he became the chairman of the Korean Democratic Party and led this organization to a pro-communist course. Afterwards, he came into more promotions and by February 1948, he was appointed the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army. He was in fact the senior field commander for all the North Korean armies during the Korean War, from the first invasion of South Korea in June 1950 till the was signed in July 1953.
In 1953, Choe was promoted to Vice Marshal and was made the Minister of Defence. In September 1957, he was removed from his position as Minister of Defense and made the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, a largely ceremonial position. In this post, he was North Korea's nominal head of state. He retired in 1972 and died in Pyongyang in 1976.
...
Wikipedia