Lew Byong-hion (18 October 1924 – 21 May 2020) was a South Korean general and diplomat. He served in the

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...

from 1948 to 1981, after which he served in the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

until 1986. Some sources also give his name as Lew Byong-hyon, Lew Byong-hyun, Lew Byung-hyun, or Yu Byung-hyun.

Military career

Lew graduated from the 7th class of the

Korea Military Academy Korea Military Academy (KMA) is the leading South Korean institution for the education and training of officer cadets for the Republic of Korea Army. Along with the Korea Army Academy (Yeongcheon), it produces the largest number of senior officer ...

in 1948. He was promoted to brigadier-general in 1961. He was a supporter of

Park Chung-hee Park Chung-hee (, ; 14 November 1917 – 26 October 1979) was a South Korean politician and army general who served as the dictator of South Korea from 1961 until his assassination in 1979; ruling as an unelected military strongman from 1961 ...

's coup in May that year, and was rewarded for his loyalty with a post in Park's junta as Minister of Agriculture after the resignation of Major General Chang Kyu-soon in June 1963. Lew continued in his military posts as well; from September 1966 to September 1967, he was Commander of the "Tiger" Division in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

. Among other operations, he was responsible for the controversial evacuation of civilians from the mountains of Phu Cat District in 1966. After his return from Vietnam, Lew became the Director of Planning and Operations (작전기획부장) under the

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

. He was widely noted for his 1968 prediction that

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 ...

would launch an all-out attack on South Korea, "whether it be today or in years to come", though

Charles H. Bonesteel III Charles Hartwell Bonesteel III (September 26, 1909 – October 13, 1977) was an American military commander, the son of Major General Charles Hartwell Bonesteel Jr. and grandson of Major Charles H. Bonesteel Sr. (1851–1902). He served in th ...

disagreed with his assessment. Lew continued his rise through the ranks, finally being promoted to ''

daejang (; ja, 将, Shō; ) is the rank held by general officers in some East Asian militaries. The ranks are used in both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China on Taiwan. The People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police use ...

'' in 1977. In that capacity, he inaugurated the

ROK-US Combined Forces Command ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC) was established in 1978. South Korean forces remain independent unless during a time of war in which they will subordinate themselves to the command. It is commanded by a four-star U.S. general and its Deputy ...

in 1978 and served as its first deputy commander. In December 1979, Lew additionally became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Chairman, Lew visited the United States in November 1980 at the invitation of U.S.

Chairman David C. Jones. While there, he met with then-President-elect

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

's national security advisor

Richard V. Allen Richard Vincent Allen (born January 1, 1936) was the United States National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1982, having been Reagan's chief foreign policy advisor from 1977. He has been a fellow of the Hoover Institutio ...

regarding

Kim Dae-jung Kim Dae-jung (; ; 6 January 192418 August 2009), was a South Korea, South Korean politician and activist who served as the eighth president of South Korea from 1998 to 2003. He was a 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient for his work for democra ...

, who was facing capital punishment on charges of sedition for his role in the

Gwangju Uprising The Gwangju Uprising was a popular uprising in the city of Gwangju, South Korea, from May 18 to May 27, 1980, which pitted local, armed citizens against soldiers and police of the South Korean government. The event is sometimes called 5·18 (Ma ...

; this was the first step in a diplomatic push by Reagan that would ultimately see Kim's death sentence commuted. He held the position of Chairman until his retirement from the military in 1981.

Civilian career

After his retirement, Lew continued working for the South Korean government in civilian positions. He was named South Korea's eleventh ambassador to the United States in May 1981, succeeding

Kim Yong-shik Kim Yong-shik (Korean: 김용식; November 11, 1913 – March 31, 1995) was a South Korean lawyer and diplomat. Personal life Kim's younger brother was Korean author Kim Yong-ik. He graduated from the Law College of Chuo University in Tokyo ...

. Among other duties there, he continued to keep a close eye on Kim Dae-jung, who had gone into exile in the United States in 1982 after his prison sentence was suspended. He remained in Washington D.C. until 1985, thereafter becoming the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' ambassador-at-large until 1986.

Personal life

Lew was born in

Cheongwon County Cheongwon County (''Cheongwon-gun'') was a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It was dissolved on July 1, 2014 and consolidated to Cheongju. Cheongwon was Twin towns and sister cities, twi ...

North Chungcheong Province North Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청북도, ''Chungcheongbuk-do''), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region in the s ...

in what is today

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. He was married to Yang Jeong-hui (양정희), with whom he had four sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lew, Byong-hion 1924 births 2020 deaths People from North Chungcheong Province Ambassadors of South Korea to the United States South Korean generals South Korean military personnel of the Korean War South Korean military personnel of the Vietnam War Korea Military Academy alumni Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (South Korea) Yonsei University alumni Korea University alumni Byong-hion