Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...
Choe Kwang (; July 17, 1918 – February 21, 1997) was a prominent military leader in
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
.
Biography
He graduated from the Soviet Military School and served as captain in the Northeast Anti-Japanese Army until the end of the Japanese occupation. In February 1948, he took office as the 1st Division Commander of the Korean People's Army. In September 1948, he was elected to the Supreme People's Assembly. In June 1950, the 13th Division Commander of the Chosun People's Army and in October 1952, Kang Kun-Gun School (currently Kang-Gun General School) was inaugurated. In October 1953, he became the commander of the 5th Corps of the Chosun People's Army, and in January 1954, he was promoted to Lieutenant General of the Chosun People's Army and became the Chief of Staff of the 1st Corps.
In April 1956, he was elected as a candidate for the Central Committee of the Party at the 3rd Party Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea. In June 1958, he became the commander of the Air Force, and in June 1960, he was promoted to the Korean People's Army. In September 1961, he was elected as the central member of the party at the
4th Party Congress. In September 1962 he became vice of the National Security Agency (Abolished in 1972 and reorganized into the
Ministry of People's Armed Forces
The Ministry of Defence (, formerly 인민무력성/人民武力省 or Ministry of the People's Armed Forces) is the government agency tasked with general administrative and logistical coordination of the Korean People's Army (KPA). Prior to 1992, ...
). In February 1963, he was promoted to Captain of the Korean People's Army and became the Chief of General of Staff. On October 2, 1966, he was elected as a candidate for the Political Committee of the Party at the 2nd Party Delegates' Meeting, and in December 1967 he was elected to the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly. However, in March 1969, he was dismissed and became a mining worker.
In April 1976, he was reinstated while taking office as chairman of the People's Committee of the
South Hwanghae Province
South Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaenamdo; , lit. "south Yellow Sea province") is a province in western North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital i ...
. At the
6th Party Congress in October 1980, he was elected to the
Central Committee
Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of Communist party, communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party org ...
of the WPK and the candidate member of the Political Bureau. In March 1981, he became Deputy Prime Minister Jung Moo-won. In April 1982, Jung Moo-won was inaugurated as Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Fisheries Committee. On February 12, 1988, he withdrew from the deputy prime minister and transferred to the military. He was inaugurated as the Chief of the
General Staff of the Korean People's Army and a member of the
Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea
The Central Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (CMC) () is an organ of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) which is responsible for coordinating the Party organizations within the ...
.
On May 23, 1990, he was elected a member of the Party's Political Bureau at the 18th Plenary Session of the 6th Party Central Committee, and took office as Vice-President of the
National Defence Commission
The National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (NDC) () was the highest state institution for military and national defence leadership in North Korea, which also served as the highest governing institution of the cou ...
. In 1991, he was elected as a member of the Party's Central Military Committee, and on April 20, 1992, he was granted the title of Deputy General of the Korean People's Army. On October 8, 1995, he was appointed
Minister of the People's Armed Forces.
and was awarded the rank of
Marshal of the Korean People's Army.
He was one of three military officers in the North Korean Armed Forces who reached rank of ''
Wonsu
''Wonsu'' is the highest military rank in the armed forces of North Korea and South Korea.
Historical
The title of ''Wonsu'' or its variations had been used as the title of high-ranking military commanders in Korean history since Goryeo Dynasty ...
'' (Marshal) with the title "Marshal of the Korean People's Army".
[
]
Death and funeral
Choe died of a heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
on February 21, 1997. On his funeral committee were:
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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 ...
# Ri Jong-ok
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* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese f ...
# Ri Ul-sol
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# Jo Myong-rok
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# Kim Yong-chun
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# Kye Ung-thae
# Chon Pyong-ho
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# Kim Chol-man
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# Choe Thae-bok
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# Yang Hyong-sop
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# Chon Un-sop
# Hong Song-nam
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# Hong Sok-hyong
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Born in Seoul in 1936 during the Jap ...
# Kim Kuk-thae
Kim Kuk-thae ( ko, 김국태; 27 August 1924 – 13 December 2013) was an elder apparatchik of the Workers' Party of Korea, the ruling party in North Korea.
Kim was born in North Hamgyong Province as the eldest son of Kim Il-sung's trusted gene ...
# Kim Ki-nam
# Kim Jung-rin
Kim Jung-rin () (7 December 1923 – 28 April 2010) was a North Korean politician who was an alternate member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, as well as a member of the Politburo and party secretary. ...
# Kim Yong-sun
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# Yun Ki-bok Yun may refer to:
*Yǔn, Chinese name of Xionites, a nomadic tribe of Central Asia
*Yun (Chinese name) (云/雲), a Chinese family name
*Yun (ancient surname), an ancient Chinese surname
*Yeon, or Yun, Korean (or Dutch given name) family name
*Yun ...
# Kim Kwang-chin
# Paek Hak-rim
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# Kim Ik-hyon
Kim Ik-hyon ( ko, 김익현/金益鉉, 1921 - 15 January 2009) was a North Korean politician and military officer. He was member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. He was elected to the 11th convocation of the Supreme Pe ...
# Ri Tu-ik
Ri Tu-ik ( ko, 리두익/李斗益; born 1921 in Jilin, China - died March 13, 2002, in Pyongyang) was a North Korean politician of the Workers' Party of Korea and Vice-Marshal of the Korean People's Army, who was a member of the Central Military ...
# Choe In-tok
# Hwang Sun-hui
Hwang Sun-hui (; 3 May 1919 – 17 January 2020) was a North Korean politician who served in several high-ranking positions in the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), including in the Supreme People's Assembly and the Central Committee of the WPK ...
# Choe Song-suk
Choi is a Korean family surname. As of the South Korean census of 2015, there were around 2.3 million people by this name in South Korea or roughly 4.7% of the population. In English-speaking countries, it is most often anglicized ''Choi'', an ...
# Kim Yong-yon
# Ri Jong-san
Ri Jong-san (1922 - July 23, 2011) was a military officer and politician of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Biography
He was born in China in 1922, He worked with Kim Il-sung as the first generation of anti-Japanese mountain guerrilla ...
# Kim Jong-kak
# O Ryong-pang
O, or o, is the fifteenth Letter (alphabet), letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in ...
# Ri Pyong-uk
# Jong Chang-ryol
Jong Chang-ryol ( ko, 정창렬, born 1923) is a North Korean general and politician. He was the Vice-Minister of the People's Armed Forces Department, the Chief of the People's Army, and member of the 12th convocation of the Supreme People's ...
# Ri Yong-su
# Kim Ha-kyu
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese f ...
# Hyon Chol-hae
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He was born in Country Yanji,Province Jilin,Manchukuo.
During the Korean War, Hyon served as Kim Il-sung's bodyguard, a role which ...
# Won Ung-hui
Won Ung-hui ( ko, 원응희) (born 1939- died May 15, 2004) was a North Korean politician and military officer, served as commander of the Military Security Command of the Korean People's Army. He was a member of the Central Committee of the Wor ...
# Pak Jae-kyong
Pak Jae-gyong (; born 10 June 1933) is a North Korean politician and soldier. A general in the Korean People's Army (KPA), Pak is a Vice Minister in the Ministry of People's Armed Forces as well as a member of the Central Committee of the Work ...
# Ri Myong-su
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Ri was a confidant and military aide of the former North Korean leader Kim Jo ...
# Kim Tae-sik
# Ok Pong-ran
# Kim Myong-kuk
# Kim Kyok-sik
General Kim Kyok-sik (; 5 October 1938 – 10 May 2015) was a defence minister of North Korea.
Biography
Kim Kyok-sik was born in 1938. He studied at Kim Il-sung Military Academy before being moved to Syria as North Korea's military attaché ...
# Chang Song-u
# Chon Chin-su
# Ju Sang-song
Ju Sang-song (born August 1933) is a North Korean politician and former Minister of People's Security.
Biography
Ju Sang-song was born in Kangwon-do Province in 1933, joined the Korean People's Army in June 1951, and later attended the Kim Il-s ...
# Kim Il-chol
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# Kang Tong-yon
Kang may refer to:
Places
* Kang Kalan, Punjab
* Kang District, Afghanistan
* Kang, Botswana, a village
* Kang County, Gansu, China
* Kang, Isfahan, Iran, a village
* Kang, Kerman, Iran, a village
* Kang, Razavi Khorasan, Iran, a village
* Kham ( ...
# Pak Ki-song
# Ri Yong-chol
Ri Yong-chol (; born 8 January 1991) is a North Korean footballer who currently plays as a defender for North Korean club Hwaebul Sports Club.
International career
Ri made his first senior international appearance in a friendly in and agains ...
# Kim Yong-un
Kim Yong-un (; September 6, 1927 – May 30, 2020) was a South Korean mathematician, philosopher, and critic of civilisations. He was active in various fields of mathematics, philosophy, anthropology, and linguistics, and is considered to have esta ...
# Chon Jae-son
CHON is a mnemonic acronym for the four most common elements in living organisms: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
The acronym CHNOPS, which stands for ''c''arbon, ''h''ydrogen, ''n''itrogen, ''o''xygen, ''p''hosphorus, ''s''ulfur, r ...
# Yo Chun-sok
# Kim Song-kyu
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese f ...
# Jong Ho-kyun Jong may refer to:
Surname
*Chung (Korean surname), spelled Jong in North Korea
*Zhong (surname), spelled Jong in the Gwoyeu Romatzyh system
*Common Dutch surname "de Jong"; see
** De Jong
** De Jonge
** De Jongh
*Erica Jong (born 1942), American ...
# Paek Sang-ho
Paek Sang-ho is a North Korean Colonel General. He has been an alternate member to the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea since 1993. He served on the 10th Supreme People's Assembly, from 1998 to 2003. Paek gained the rank of Col ...
# Ri Thaek-chol
# O Kum-chol
O Kum-chol ( ko, 오금철; born February 24, 1947) is an army general and politician in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). He is a vice-chief of the General Staff Department of the Korean People's Army and a member of the C ...
# Ri Yong-hwan
# Kim Hyong-ryong
Kim Hyong-ryong ( ko, 김형룡) is a military officer and politician of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). He is a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Ko ...
# Chon Chi-ryon
CHON is a mnemonic acronym for the four most common elements in living organisms: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
The acronym CHNOPS, which stands for ''c''arbon, ''h''ydrogen, ''n''itrogen, ''o''xygen, ''p''hosphorus, ''s''ulfur, r ...
# Choe Sang-ryo
Choe Sang-ryo ( ko, 최상려) is a North Korean politician and a Colonel general of the Korean People's Army. He is a member of Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and served as a member of the Supreme People's Assembly, N ...
# Ri Pyong-sam
Colonel General Ri Pyong-sam (; born 1 July 1935) is the Political Director of North Korea's People's Internal Security Forces. He succeeded General Ju San-song who was dismissed in 2011 due to illness.
Ri was educated at Kim Il-sung Military U ...
# Chi Yong-jun
# Kim Ki-son
# Pak Sung-won
# An Pi-tuk
An, AN, aN, or an may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Airlinair (IATA airline code AN)
* Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy
* AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey
* Anime North, a Canadian an ...
# Ri Pong-ju
# Kim Sung-yon
# Ri Chang-han
# Jong Thae-kun
# Yom Chol-song
# Pyon Sang-mo
# Kim Mun-hong
# Ri Chu-ul
# Han Tae-myon
# Son Chol-ju
# Kim Sang-thae
# Choe Ho-jun
Choi is a Korean family surname. As of the South Korean census of 2015, there were around 2.3 million people by this name in South Korea or roughly 4.7% of the population. In English-speaking countries, it is most often anglicized ''Choi'', an ...
# Tong Yong-il Tong may refer to:
Chinese
*Tang Dynasty, a dynasty in Chinese history when transliterated from Cantonese
*Tong (organization), a type of social organization found in Chinese immigrant communities
*''tong'', pronunciation of several Chinese char ...
# Kim Ki-nam
# Paek Bo-kyong
# Kim Tu-nam
Kim or KIM may refer to:
Names
* Kim (given name)
* Kim (surname)
** Kim (Korean surname)
*** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties
**** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948
** Kim, Vietnamese f ...
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Choe, Kwang
1918 births
1997 deaths
North Korean military personnel
Defence ministers of North Korea
North Korean military personnel of the Korean War
Members of the 6th Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea
Alternate members of the 6th Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea
Members of the 5th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea
Members of the 6th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea
Members of the 1st Supreme People's Assembly
Members of the 2nd Supreme People's Assembly
Members of the 3rd Supreme People's Assembly
Members of the 4th Supreme People's Assembly
Members of the 5th Supreme People's Assembly
Members of the 6th Supreme People's Assembly
Members of the 7th Supreme People's Assembly
Members of the 8th Supreme People's Assembly
Members of the 9th Supreme People's Assembly
People from North Hamgyong
People of 88th Separate Rifle Brigade