Hyon Mu-gwang ( ko, 현무광, 1913 - March 1992) was a

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 Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

n politician, deputy prime minister of the State Administration of Government, member of the of North Korea and chairman of the National Audit Committee.

Biography

Hyon Mu-gwang was born in

Hongyuan County Gakog (Hongyuan) County ( or ; ) is a county in the north of Sichuan Province, China. It is under the administration of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. There is a river called ''Ka Chu/Gaqu'' () in the area and ''kog'' means ...

, south-central

South Hamgyong Province South Hamgyong Province (, ''Hamgyŏngnamdo''; ) is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Hamgyong Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Kor ...

. In his early years, he worked as a worker in a factory in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

. During the Japanese occupation, he was forced to requisition to work in a steel plant in

Chongjin Chŏngjin (; ) is the capital of North Korea's North Hamgyong Province (함경북도) and the country's third largest city. It is sometimes called the ''City of Iron''. History Prehistory According to archaeological findings near the lower ...

City. In 1937, he joined the National Liberation League and engaged in the communist movement. He was subsequently arrested by the Japanese colonial government and sentenced to prison. In 1945, Japan surrendered and World War II ended, In 1956, Hyon returned, and immediately became the vice chairman of

Xianjing South Road Xianjing may refer to * Xianjing, Zhuzhou, township in Zhuzhou County, Zhuzhou City, Hunan, China *''Xiānjìng'', the place where '' Xian'' ("fairies" or "immortals") reside in Chinese mythology *''Xiànjǐng'' or "snare", an element in the Chine ...

. In the same year, he was elected as acting member of the Supreme People's Assembly. He was re-elected to this position 7 times. In 1958, he was promoted to chairman of South Hamgyong Province. In 1960, he was appointed Minister of Heavy Industry of the Party Central Committee. In 1962, he was relocated to the chairman of North Hamgyong Province. The following year, he was promoted to the chairman of the Machinery Industry Committee (later the Minister of the Machinery Industry). In 1970, he was elected as a member of the , an alternate member of the

Political Committee Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

and a secretary of the

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

. In 1984, Hyon was promoted to deputy prime minister of the

Government Administration The term administration, as used in the context of government, differs according to the jurisdiction under which it operates. In general terms, administration can be described as a decision making body. United States In American usage, the term ...

. Two years later, he was appointed chairman of the National Audit Committee. In recognition of his contribution to rebuilding North Korea's heavy industry and developing military industry, the Pyongyang government awarded him the

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 1 ...

and the title of "

Hero of the Republic Hero of the Republic () is a North Korean honorific title. It was created on 30 June 1950 as Hero of the Korean People's Republic (). It was the first title created in the country. Despite having been created just five days after the Korean War ...

". He has also visited the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, China and

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

many times on behalf of North Korea. He died in March 1992. The Pyongyang government held a state funeral for him and was buried in

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 ...

References

1913 births 1992 deaths People from North Hamgyong Government ministers of North Korea Alternate members of the 5th Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea Alternate members of the 6th Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 6th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea {{NorthKorea-politician-stub