General Cho Myong-son (, 27 November 1923 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean official. He was a former guerilla fighter in the

Korean independence movement The Korean independence movement was a military and diplomatic campaign to achieve the independence of Korea from Japan. After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korea's domestic resistance peaked in the March 1st Movement of 1919, which ...

Career

Prior to liberation from Japan, he was an anti-Japanese partisan and fought alongside

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 ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...

, as a messenger. He had enlisted in the Korean Peoples' Revolutionary Army in June 1937. Although he was initially unfamiliar with guerilla warfare and the forests, he adapted to the harsh conditions, and conducted numerous reconnaissance missions against the Japanese, which earned Kim's trust. In 1945, he became a battalion commander, and in August 1950, he became a division commander. It is unknown when he was further promoted. In ''

With the Century ''Reminiscences: With the Century'' () is the autobiography of Kim Il-sung, founder and former president of North Korea. The memoirs, written in 1992 and published in eight volumes, retell Kim's life story through his childhood to the time of K ...

'', he was named as a bodyguard who protected Kim during the anti-Japanese warfare and was described as extremely loyal. Due to his loyalty and his command skills, he was promoted to higher positions in the army. He was commended also for responsibly using the army for socialist construction after the Korean War and devoted to strengthening the army. He was a candidate to the

5th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea The 5th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) was elected at the 5th Congress on 13 November 1970. and remained in session until the election of the 6th Central Committee on 14 October 1980. In between party congresses and speci ...

and elected to the 5th Supreme People's Assembly in December 1972. In the same year, he received his first

Order of Kim Il Sung The Order of Kim Il Sung () is the highest order of North Korea, along with the Order of Kim Jong Il, and only second to one honorary title, the Hero of Labour. The order, named after the country's first leader Kim Il Sung, was instituted in ...

, followed by another in 1982. In 1980, he was elected as a full member to the 6th Central Committee of the WPK. He became the deputy director of the

Ministry of Social Security Ministry of Social Security or Department of Social Security is the government entity responsible for social security affairs. It may be a ministry office, a department, or, as in the United States, a nominally independent agency. Notable ones ar ...

in 1982 and in 1989, the principal of

Kang Kon Military Academy Kang Kon Military Academy ( ko, 강건종합군관학교) is a military educational institution located in the city of Pyongyang, in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The location is near Pyongyang International Airport. It was named after ...

Death

Cho Myong-son died on the same day as

. His death was announced on July 24 and was described as 'unexpected'. He was buried at the

Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery Taesongsan Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery () is a cemetery and memorial to the North Korean soldiers fighting for freedom and independence against Japanese rule. It is located near the top of Mount Taesong (Taesongsan) in the Taesong-guyŏk, ...

and a bust of him was erected at his grave. Condolences were delivered from both Kim Il Sung and

Kim Jong Il Kim Jong-il (; ; ; born Yuri Irsenovich Kim;, 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from 1994 to 2011. He led North Korea from the 1994 death of his father Kim ...

in a funeral in

Potonggang-guyok Potonggang-guyok is one of the 18 districts, or guyok, of Pyongyang, North Korea. It is most famous as the location of the Ryugyong Hotel. It is named after the Pothong River (literally "the simple river"), which serves as the district's border on ...

, the last person to receive condolences from Kim Il Sung.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cho, Myong-son 1923 births 1994 deaths Members of the 5th Supreme People's Assembly Members of the 6th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Burials at the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery Militant Korean independence activists Recipients of the Order of Kim Il Sung 20th-century North Korean politicians Heroes of the Republic (North Korea)