Kim Won-bong (김원봉, 金元鳳 – 1958) was a Korean anarchist, independence activist, communist, and statesman from

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 ...

Biography

Kim Won-bong was born in 1898, in

Miryang Miryang (perhaps pronounced as Milbeol using Idu script), formerly also spelled as 推火郡 (probably pronounced as Milbeol or Miribeol using Idu script), Milbeol (密伐) and Milseong (密城), is a city in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, South Ko ...

, Gyeongsangnam-Do province, Korea. His father was Kim Ju-Ik and his mother was Lee Gyeong-Nyeom. Lee died giving birth to Kim Won-bong's brother, Kyung-Bong. In February 1919, Kim entered the Shinheung Military Academy () and underwent military education for six months, after which he dropped out of the academy. On November 9 of the same year, Kim organized a Korean nationalist underground organization known as the Korean Heroic Corps (의열단; 義烈團), with Yang Gun-ho, Gwak Jae-ki, Han Bong-geun, Kim Ok, and others. Among the Heroic Corps aims were the assassinations of Japanese officials and their collaborators, coupled with attacks on Japanese bases. After assuming the position of leader of the Heroic Corps, Kim Won-Bong found that he could not accomplish the aims of the organization as it did not have a sufficient number of members. As a result, he joined the

Whampoa Military Academy The Republic of China Military Academy () is the service academy for the army of the Republic of China, located in Fengshan District, Kaohsiung. Previously known as the the military academy produced commanders who fought in many of China ...

in 1926. Kim used the pseudonym "Choi Rim" and organized the

Korean National Revolutionary Party The Korean National Revolutionary Party ( ko, 조선민족혁명당, Minjok Hyǒngmyǒng-dang), or KNRP, was a nationalist party formed by exiles in Shanghai in 1935 to resist the Japanese occupation of Korea. At first it was the main nationalist ...

, and the Joseon Communist Reconstruction Party. The Korean National Revolutionary Party was formed in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

in 1935 by a group of left-wing nationalist Korean parties, organized by

Kim Kyu-sik Kim Kyu-sik, also spelled Kimm Kiusic ( Korean:김규식, Hanja:金奎植, January 29, 1881 – December 10, 1950), was a Korean politician and academic during the Korean independence movement and a leader of the Provisional Government of the ...

, Kim Won-Bong and Cho Soang. On July 10, 1937, at the invitation of the Government of the Republic of China, Kim went to Lushan, the Chinese government's conference site and resort. During his time there, Chinese government officials insisted upon associating the united front against

Japanese Imperialism This is a list of regions occupied or annexed by the Empire of Japan until 1945, the year of the end of World War II in Asia, after the surrender of Japan. Control over all territories except most of the Japanese mainland (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyu ...

. Before his return, Won-bong received extensive funding from the Chinese governor. Kim Won-Bong served as the deputy commander of the

Korean Liberation Army The Korean Liberation Army, also known as the Korean Restoration Army established on September 17, 1940, in Chungking, China, was the armed force of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. Its commandant was General Ji Cheong-cheon, ...

(한국 광복군) of the

Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea The Korean Provisional Government (KPG), formally the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, was a partially recognized Korean government-in-exile based in Shanghai, China, and later in Chongqing, during the period of Japanese co ...

. After Korean Independence, he returned to Korea with the officials of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea on December 3. After the liberation, he attended a meeting with

Kim Gu Kim Gu (, ; August 29, 1876 – June 26, 1949), also known by his pen name Baekbeom (백범; ), was a Korean statesman. He was the sixth, ninth, and president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea; a leader of the Korean indepen ...

and

Pak Hon-Yong Pak Hon-yong (; 28 May 1900 – 18 December 1955) was a Korean independence activist, politician, philosopher, communist activist and one of the main leaders of the Korean communist movement during Japan's colonial rule (1910–1945). His nick ...

. Although Kim was a communist, he did not like Northern Koreans, so Kim continued to stay in South after the division of Korea. However, as communist oppression in South Korea increased, he eventually went to North Korea in 1948. Kim Won-Bong married twice. His first wife, Choi Dong-seon, died young. After her death, he married Park Cha-jeong. He had two sons and one daughter: Kim Cheol-Geon (김철건), Kim Joong-Geon (김중건) and Kim Hak-Bong (김학봉), respectively. His pen name was ''Yaksan'' (약산 若山), which means "like a mountain". In 1958, he was purged by

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 ...

. There are many different accounts of Kim's death. According to one, Kim committed suicide by taking

cyanide Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms. In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...

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Popular culture

* Portrayed by Cho Seung-woo in the 2015 film ''Assassination (2015 film), Assassination''. * Portrayed by Yoo Ji-tae in the 2019 Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, MBC TV series ''Different Dreams''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Won-bong 1898 births 1958 deaths Korean independence activists Korean anarchists North Korean atheists Suicides by cyanide poisoning Korean generals Kim Kyu-sik Gimhae Kim clan Whampoa Military Academy alumni Members of the 1st Supreme People's Assembly Members of the 2nd Supreme People's Assembly 1958 suicides South Korean emigrants to North Korea Suicides in Korea

Biography

Popular culture

See also

References