Ho Song-taek ( ko, 허성택, 1908 – 1958?) was a Korean labor activist, an independence activist, and a politician in the early years of North Korea.

Biography

Born and raised in Seongjin, Hambuk (nowadays

Kimchaek Kimch'aek (), formerly Sŏngjin (Chosŏn'gŭl: 성진, Hancha: 城津), is a city in North Hamgyong Province, North Korea. It was an open port in 1899. It has a population of 207,699. Etymology The city received its current name in 1951 durin ...

North Hamgyong Province North Hamgyong Province (Hamgyŏngbukdo, ) is the northernmost province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Hamgyong Province. Geography The province is bordered by China (Jilin) on the north, S ...

, he led the anti-Japanese movement in solidarity with the unions that existed in Joseon during the Japanese occupation in 1927. At that time, Heo Kuk-taek, Heo Sung-taek, and Heo Young-shik were used as pseudonyms. In the early 1930s, he realized that it was difficult to engage in labor and independence movements without socialism and economic knowledge in Joseon. After returning to the Korean Peninsula in 1935, he joined the labor union and committed to an active strike and anti-Japanese movement toward Japan, and in 1936, he was serving as a prisoner in the Sungjin Farmers Union and served in prison for three years. Since 1940, he has participated in the reconstruction movement of the Communist Party of Korea and, after liberation, organized the National Council of the Korean Workers' Union, a labor movement group affiliated with the Namro Party. In 1934, he graduated from the Communist University of the Toilers of the East. After returning to Korea following its liberation in August 1945, the organization of farmers and trade unions August 1948 Central member of the Korean Workers' Party. In September 1946, he initiated the “September General Strike” of the National Council of Korea Trade Unions, which was the largest strike during the Joseon Dynasty. However, the anti-communist youth group and the U.S. military police force failed to crack down on him, and he remained silent for a year before being caught and served for a year in prison. In September 1948, following the formal declaration on the

Democratic People's Republic of 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 Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...

, he was elected to the

Supreme People's Assembly The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; ) is the unicameral legislature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. It consists of one deputy from each of the DPRK's 687 constituencies, elected to five-year ...

and was appointed to the first Labor Minister in the North Korean Cabinet led by

Premier of North Korea The Premier of the Cabinet () is the head of government of North Korea and a key adviser to the Supreme Leader of North Korea. The office is also alternatively known as Prime Minister of North Korea. The prime minister of North Korea is the ...

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 ...

. In 1954, he became Minister of Transport and, in September 1957, Minister of Coal Industry. In 1958, he was purged and executed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ho, Song-taek Workers' Party of Korea politicians Korean communists 1908 births 1958 deaths Government ministers of North Korea Members of the 1st Supreme People's Assembly Members of the 2nd Supreme People's Assembly People from Kimchaek 20th-century North Korean politicians Labor ministers Transport ministers Activists for Korean independence