O Jin-u

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O Jin-u
오진우
First Vice Chairmen of the
Minister of People's Armed Forces
In office
May 1976 – February 25, 1995
LeaderKim Il Sung
Kim Jong Il
Preceded byChoe Hyon
Succeeded byChoe Kwang
Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army
In office
December 1968 – September 1979
LeaderKim Il-sung
Preceded byChoe Kwang
Succeeded byO Kuk-ryol
In office
February 1988 – February 1995
Preceded byO Kuk-ryol
Succeeded byChoe Kwang
Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army
In office
1967–1968
LeaderKim Il Sung
Kim Jong Il
In office
1979–1995
Succeeded byJo Myong-rok
Commander of the Supreme Guard Command
In office
1945–1946
LeaderKim Il Sung
Personal details
Born(1917-03-08)March 8, 1917
Kankyōnan-dō (South Hamgyong Province), Korea, Empire of Japan
DiedFebruary 25, 1995(1995-02-25) (aged 77)
Pyongyang, North Korea
Political party Workers' Party of Korea
Children
Awards
Marshal of the Korean People's Army
Commands
Battles/wars
See battles
Korean name
Hangul
오진우
Hanja
Revised RomanizationO Jinu
McCune–ReischauerO Chinu

O Jin-u (

Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, and then as commander of Kim's bodyguard. He was a founding officer of the Korean People's Army (KPA), fought in the Korean War, and was a Vice-Chairman of the National Defence Commission from 1972 until dying in 1995. He was considered to be the most powerful person in North Korea after Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, a hardliner, and a strong supporter of North Korea's nuclear program
.

Career

O was born in Bukcheong,

anti-Japanese forces in Manchuria and began a long association with Kim Il Sung. They joined the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army in 1938, returning to Korea in 1945 as part of the 88th Separate Rifle Brigade
to found North Korea. O became the leader of the Pyongyang Police Station and Kim's bodyguard. In February 1948, he transferred to the new KPA.

O started the

Secretariat in 1968 and the Presidium
in 1977.

O Jin-u is held responsible for the

Kim Pyong-il succession Kim Il Sung; Kim Jong Il did not have military experience and did not look like an orthodox communist to O. O's switch to support Kim Jong Il was likely the decisive factor in securing the latter's succession. According to top officials, O "proposed" as Kim Il Sung heir at a Central Committee plenum in 1974. and helped him take control of the military;[1] O championed Kim Jong Il's cause, particularly within the military.[2]

A deputy to the

military officers
in the North Korean Armed Forces to be granted the rank.

After Kim Jong Il was made Chairman of the National Defence Commission in 1993, O replaced him as its first vice-chairman. In 1990, after the collapse of the socialist bloc, he led the emergency system. He also was the second-ranking member of the Kim Il-sung funeral committee in 1994, immediately beneath Kim Jong Il. He was also the last surviving WPK Presidium member along with the new leader.

According to the testimony of film director Shin Sang-ok, who was abducted from North Korea, "O Jin-u once said that if he was drunk, he would wipe out Busan in a week if the general commanded him. Lunch in Daejeon, dinner in Busan... "

In January 2017, it was reported that his three sons, O Il-hun, O Il-jong and O Il-su had been "purged" by Kim Jong Un.[3] No official reason was given for why they were purged; however, it is believed that Kim Jong Un viewed their relation to O as a possible threat to his rule of the DPRK.[3] Considering how revered O was in the DPRK (still having the title of "Revolutionary Martyr"), the incident shocked observers, as respected officials' relatives tended to be well taken care of.[3] However, in contradiction to this report, in 2021, O Il-jong was elected as a member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Illness and death

O Jin-u, who had been victorious in the North Korean regime, suffered a worsening case of lung cancer, and his frequency of public appearances decreased significantly during this time. He went to France to receive treatment under Kim Jong Il's special consideration, but he did not show any signs of recovery and finally died in February 1995 while fighting the disease in Pyongyang, a year after

Choi Kwang
. O Jin-u is deeply imprinted with a warlike appearance, and the first person that comes to mind when many people think of the North Korean People's Army is O Jin-u.

A funeral committee of 240 members was appointed for O.[5] It included:[6]

Awards and honors

A frame with O's awards and honors was displayed during his funeral, showing all the decorations he had received.[7]

Hero of the Republic, twice

Order of Kim Il Sung, three times

Order of the National Flag First Class, thirteen times

Order of Freedom and Independence First Class, seven times

Order of Korean Labour, four times

Commemorative Order "Foundation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea"

Commemorative Order "Anniversary of the Foundation of the People's Army"

Order of Military Service Honour First Class

Commemorative Order "30th Anniversary of the Agricultural Presentation"

Order of the National Flag Second Class, three times

Order of Freedom and Independence Second Class, twice

Order of the National Flag Third Class, twice

Commemorative Order "Capital Construction"

Commemorative Order "60th Anniversary of the People's Army"

Commemorative Order "40th Anniversary of Fatherland Liberation War Victory"

Commemorative Medal "Fatherland Liberation"

Commemorative Medal "The Foundation of the People's Republic of Korea", twice

Medal For Military Merit

Medal of Military Service Honour

Works

References

Sources

  • Martin, Bradly K. (2004). Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: A History of North Korea and the Kim Dynasty. New York: Thomas Dunne. pp. 61–62. .

External links

  • "O Jin U". Private Institute for Korean Studies in Japan. Archived from the original on December 18, 2005. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
Political offices
Preceded by
Minister of People's Armed Forces

1976–1995
Succeeded by
Preceded by First Vice Chairman of the
National Defence Commission

1993–1995
Vacant
Title next held by
Jo Myong-rok
Preceded by
Vice Chairmen of the
National Defence Commission

1972–1993
Vacant
Title next held by
Ri Yong-mu
Preceded by
Member of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea
1980–1995
Vacant
Preceded by
Vice Minister of the Ministry of Social Security (North Korea)
1962–
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by
Secretariat of the Workers' Party of Korea
1981–1995
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Member of the Presidium of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea
14 October 1980–5 February 1995
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea
14 October 1980–5 February 1995
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea
1981–1995
Succeeded by
Military offices
Preceded by
Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army
1967–1968
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army

1968–1979
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army

1988–1995 (serving alongside Choe kwang)
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army
1979–1995
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Commander of the
Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force

1958–
Succeeded by