Choe Deok-sin (Korean: 최덕신; September 17, 1914 – November 14, 1989) was a South Korean Foreign Minister who later defected with his wife, Ryu Mi-yong, to North Korea.[1]
Choe Deok-sin | |
|---|---|
최덕신 | |
 Malaysian Minister for Agriculture Malaya Khir Johari and the foreign minister of South Korea Choe Dok-sin sign the first ever trade agreement between those two countries in Seoul | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Korea | |
| In office October 11, 1961 – March 15, 1963 | |
| President | Park Chung Hee |
| Preceded by | Song Yo-chan |
| Succeeded by | Kim Yong-shik |
| Vice-Chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland | |
| In office ??–1989 | |
| President | Kim Il Sung |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 17, 1914 Uiju County, Heianhoku-dō, Empire of Japan |
| Died | November 14, 1989 (aged 75) Pyongyang, North Korea |
| Spouse | Ryu Mi-yong |
| Choe Deok-sin | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 최덕신 |
|---|---|
| Hancha | |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Deok-sin |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Tŏksin |
Choe was born in Uiju County, North Pyongan Province. In 1936, he graduated from the Republic of China Military Academy, and served as a Republic of China Army officer.[2] By the end of World War II, Choe had been promoted to colonel.[2] After the war Choe returned to South Korea and entered the national army academy as a second lieutenant.[2] In 1949, Choe entered the United States Military Academy.[2] On July 14, 1950, Choe returned to South Korea.[2] Choe served as a commanding general of the South Korean 11th Division under the United States IX Corps during the Korean War.[2][3] His division carried out the Sancheong-Hamyang and Geochang massacres. After the military coup, from 1961 to 1963, Choe served as a Foreign Minister and Ambassador to West Germany.[1]
In 1986, Choe relocated with his wife Ryu Mi-yong to North Korea from their exile in the United States, where they had been known for their opposition to the policies of the South Korean military government.[4] Choe served as a chief of the central committee of the Chondogyo religious movement and vice-chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.[1][4] 3 years later, in 1989, Choe died at the age of 75. Choe's son, Choe In-guk, reportedly defected to North Korea in July 2019.[5][6]
Bibliography
edit- Choe Deok-sin (1972). Panmunjom and After. New York: Vantage Press. OCLC 754916.
- — (1987). The Nation and I: For the Reunification of the Motherland. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. OCLC 17933376.
- — (1989). My Thirty Years in South Korea: Amid the Tragedy of National Division. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. OCLC 21567991.
- — (1990). In the Embrace of My Motherland. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. OCLC 27117555.
See also
edit
- Sancheong-Hamyang massacre
- Geochang massacre
- South Korean defectors
- North Korean defectors
- Hwang Jang-yop, Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, highest-ranking defector from the North
References
edit- ^ a b c "Choi Duk Shin, 75, Ex-South Korean Envoy". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 19, 1989. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f 최동오와 아들 최덕신 고단한 민족사 넘나들다 애국렬사릉에 나란히 묻히다. Minjog21 (in Korean). Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
- ^ 산청 시천면 양민학살, 어떤 사건인가? 아녀자, 어린이 대부분...알려진 산청 함양사건과는 별개 출처 : 산청 시천면 양민학살, 어떤 사건인가? - 오마이뉴스. Ohmynews (in Korean). May 16, 2000. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ a b "Article: Ryu Mi-yong -- Representitive [sic] of Chongdogyo in North Korean". Korea Times. HighBeam. August 16, 2000. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
- ^ Shim, Elizabeth (July 7, 2019). "South Korean man defects to North Korea, Pyongyang says". UPI. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019.
Uriminzokkiri said Sunday Choe In-guk, the second son of former South Korean Foreign Minister Choe Tok-sin, arrived in North Korea on Saturday for "permanent residence."
- ^ "South Korean 'defects' to North Korea". BBC News. July 8, 2019.