Kim Yong-chun (4 March 1936 – 16 August 2018) 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 Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

n soldier and politician. He was a leader of the North Korean military. He held the North Korean military rank

Chasu ''Ch'asu'' () is a superior military rank of North Korea, often translated as Vice Marshal. The rank is senior to that of '' Daejang'' (General) and junior to that of '' Wonsu'' (Marshal). The rank is seldom bestowed upon the professional milit ...

(Vice Marshal), was Vice Chairman of the

National Defense Commission of North Korea National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

, and was Minister of People's Armed Forces (roughly corresponds to

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

in other countries). He held a minor post within the Workers Party.

Early life

Born in 1936 in

Yanggang Province Ryanggang Province (Ryanggangdo; ko, 량강도, ''Ryanggang-do'', ) is a province in North Korea. The province is bordered by China (Jilin) on the north, North Hamgyong on the east, South Hamgyong on the south, and Chagang on the west. Ryan ...

, he attended the Mangyongdae Revolutionary School and the

Kim Il-sung Military University Kim Il-sung Military University (also known as Kim Il-sung Military Academy) is a university located in Mangyongdae-guyok, Pyongyang, capital of North Korea. Founded in 1948 and named after Kim Il-sung, the school is a post-secondary educational ...

before starting his career in the party apparatus and the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the '' Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General S ...

Career

He served as secretary of the South

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

Provincial Committee of the

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party ...

in the 1960s and was elected alternate member of the WPK Central Committee in 1980 at the 6th Party Congress. In 1986 he was elevated to Central Committee full member, director of the KPA General Staff Operations Bureau and deputy 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 ...

. He was abruptly purged in 1988 along with Chief of General Staff

O Kuk-ryol O Kuk-ryol (, born 7 January 1930) is a North Korean military general who served as Vice Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, as head of the Operations Department from April 2009 to June 2016. The son of O Jung-song and n ...

for disputes with

O Jin-u O Jin-u (March 8, 1917 – February 25, 1995) was a North Korean general and politician. He served with Kim Il-sung's partisan unit and eventually rose through the ranks of the North Korean Army. He distinguished himself during the Korean War an ...

.VMAR Kim Yong Chun
North Korea Leadership Watch. Accessdate: 2018-08-21 Kim Yong-chun reappeared in the 1990s as he was promoted to

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

and director of the General Munitions Mobilization Bureau. He also oversaw the disbandment of the North Hamgyong Province's Sixth Army Corps, accused of corruption. In 1995, after O Jin-u's death, he was promoted to Vice Marshal and Chief of the KPA General Staff, a post he held until 2007, when he was appointed a vice-chairman 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 ...

. Kim Yong-chun was reputedly close to Kim Jong-il and a member of his court of aides. He received new promotions in 2009 as Minister of People's Armed Forces and in 2010 as member of the Politburo and the Central Military Commission. In December 2011, after the leader's death, he was ranked 5th among members of the Kim Jong-il funeral committee, immediately after Kim Jong-un and the Politburo Presidium members (

Kim Yong-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 ...

Choe Yong-rim Choe Yong-rim (, born 20 November 1930) is a North Korean politician who served as the Premier of North Korea from June 2010 to April 2013 and was a member of the 6th Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea.

and Ri Yong-ho), signalling his powerful position in the new leadership. He was replaced as Minister by

Kim Jong-gak Kim Jong-gak (; born 20 July 1941)
, KCNA, 29 September 2010. is a

and appointed director of the WPK Civil Defense Department in April 2012. Although displaced from all significant leading posts, he was awarded the largely honorary rank of Marshal of the Korean People's Army in April 2016.

Death

Kim Yong-chun died on 16 August 2018 from

myocardial infarction 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 ...

, aged 82. On his funeral committee were: # Kim Jong-un #

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# O Su-yong # An Jong-su #

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# Ri Ju-o #

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# Tong Jong-ho #

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# Kim Yong-dae #

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# Choe Tong-myong #

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# Hong Chan # Jang Kil-song # Son Chol-ju #

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# Ri Tu-song # Ho Yong-chun # Rim Un-guk # Yun Tong-hyon # Kim Jong-gwan # Ri Song-guk #

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# Kang Su-nam # Kim Thaek-gu # Ri Tong-chun # Jong Yong-hak # Kim Sang-gap # Kim Song-chol #

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# Pang Kwang-bok # Yun Pyong-gwon #

An Ji-yong 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 ...

# Kim Myong-gyun #

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# Jang Tong-un #

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# Kim Song-gi # Kim Chun-sik # Kim Yong-h # Kim Myong-sik #

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# Pang Tu-sop # Pak Kwang-ju # Kim Myong-nam # Kim Yong-bok # Choe Tu-yong #

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Kim Sang-ryong 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 ...

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# Ri Bong-chun #

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Ju Song-nam JU may refer to: Names and people * Joo (Korean name), surname and given name (including a list of people with the name) * Jū (鞠), Chinese surname * Ru (surname), romanized Ju in Wade–Giles * Ji Ju, a semi-legendary ancestor of the Zhou dy ...

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Ko Myong-su A KO is a knockout in various sports, such as boxing and martial arts. K.O., Ko or Kō may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * KO (musician), Canadian musician who plays a fusion of hip hop and folk music * ''K.O.'' (album), a 2021 ...

Kim Kwang-su 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 fo ...

# Ri Kwang-ho # Hong Jong-duk # Ri Yong-chol #

# Kim Chang-guk # So Sang-won # Kim Kuk-chang # Ju Tong-chol # Ri Yong-chol # An Yong-sik # Kim To-un # Yu Rim-ho # Yun Hui-hwan # Sin Ki-chol # Kim Kyong-ryong # Han Pyo-sop # Jo Nam-jin # Han Myong-son # O Pyong-chol # Kim Jong-chol # Jong Chol-ho # Sim Thae-bong # Jong Tong-chol # Ko Won-nam # Ju Jae-uk #

# Kim Tong-chol # Chin Kwang-chol #

Han Chang-sun Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

# Cha Kyong-il # Im Kwang-ung #

Ryo Chun-sok Ryo Chun-seok ( ko, 려춘석; born July 1930) is a military officer and politician of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Army General of the Korean People's Army, President of the Kim Il-sung Military University and a member of the Cen ...

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Jon Chang-bok Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".Jong Myong-do Jong Myong-do ( ko, 정명도) is a North Korean politician and fleet admiral. He served as commander of the Korean People's Navy as well as member of the Supreme People's Assembly from the 10th convocation. Biography Little is known about the ...

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# Son Jong-nam # Jon Thae-ryong # Ri Chang-hun # Jon Sun-chol #

Kim Jong-gil Kim Jong-gil (Hangul: 김종길; November 5, 1926 – April 1, 2017) was an early-modern South Korean poet. Life Kim Jong-gil was born on November 5, 1926, in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea. and graduated from Korea University with undergradu ...

# Kang Pong-chan # Kim Son-jin #

Kim Tu-il Kim Tu-il (Korean: 김두일) is a North Korean politician. He is a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the Provincial Party Committee of South Pyongan Province. Biography After serving as Vice-Chairman ...

# Mun Kyong-dok # Pak Yong-ho # Ryang Jong-hun #

Kim Jae-ryong Kim Jae-ryong (, born 1959) is a North Korean politician who served as Premier of North Korea from April 2019 to August 2020. A senior official within the Workers' Party of Korea, he has served as the director of the Organization and Guidance D ...

# Pak Jong-nam #

Ri Hi-yong Ri Hi-yong ( ko, 리히용) is a North Korean politician. He is a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic P ...

# Kim Song-il # Ri Sang-won #

Kang Yang-mo 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 ...

Sin Yong-chol In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

# Pak Chol-min # Ju Yong-gil #

Kim Chang-yop 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 fo ...

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Yong-Chun 1936 births 2018 deaths North Korean military personnel Defence ministers of North Korea People from Ryanggang Members of the 6th Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 6th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea