Nam Il
Nam Il | |
---|---|
![]() Nam Il waiting to depart from the Korean War Armistice Negotiations site at Kaesong, Korea. August 1, 1951. | |
Vice Premier of the Cabinet | |
In office 20 September 1957 – 7 March 1976 Serving with | |
Premier | Kim Il Kim Il-sung |
Chairman of the | |
In office 26 December 1972 – 7 March 1976 | |
Premier | Kim Il |
Preceded by | Post established |
Succeeded by | |
Chairman of the | |
In office August 1960 – December 1962 | |
Premier | Kim Il-sung |
Preceded by | |
Succeeded by | |
Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
In office 3 March 1953 – 23 October 1959 | |
Premier | Kim Il-sung |
Preceded by | Pak Hon-yong |
Succeeded by | Pak Song-chol |
Personal details | |
Born | Yakov Petrovich Nam 5 June 1915 Russian Far East, (or North Hamgyong, Japanese Korea) |
Died | 7 March 1976 Pyongyang, North Korea | (aged 60)
Resting place | Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery, North Korea |
Relations | Nam Jong-son |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() ![]() |
Years of service | 1948–1976 1940s |
Rank | ![]() |
Korean name | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | 남일 |
Hancha | 南日 |
Revised Romanization | Nam Il |
McCune–Reischauer | Nam Il |
Nam Il (5 June, 1915 – 7 March 1976) was a Russian-born North Korean military officer and co-signer of the Korean Armistice Agreement.[1]
Biography[]
Nam was born Yakov Petrovich Nam in the Russian Far East.[2] Due to a Soviet policy, Nam's family, like many Koreans in Russia's Far East, were moved to Central Asia. He was educated at and in Tashkent. Nam became chief of staff of a Soviet Army division during World War II. He took part in some of the greatest battles, including Stalingrad.[3]
When not serving in the military, he worked in the education sector. In 1946, he went work in the Soviet occupied North Korea, leaving behind a wife and daughter.[2] After war broke out in 1950 he was appointed Chief of Staff, replacing Kang Kon who had been killed in action. In 1953, Nam became a General of the Army (대장, three-star rank at the time).[2] When the Korean War reached a stalemate in July 1951, Nam served as the Communists' chief delegate at the armistice talks.[4] He was famous for using an amber cigarette holder.[5]
After the war, Nam Il served as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Along with another Soviet Korean Pak Chong-ae, he worked to help Kim Il-sung break free from Soviet influence. In 1957, he was promoted and became one of several deputy Prime Ministers.[2] Nam, along with Pang Hak-se (the founder of the DPRK secret police), was one of only a few prominent Soviet Koreans who survived the purges of the 1950s.[2]
On 7 March 1976, it was announced that he had died when his car was crushed by a truck. Many suspected that this was not an accident, and some blamed Kim Jong-il, who by that time was not powerful enough to simply order Nam be killed. Others said that it was done by Kim Il-sung.[2][6] Nam Il's son, who lived in the Soviet Union, visited North Korea and attempted to investigate, but Pang Hak-se told him to go home and stop interfering in affairs which did not concern him.[2]
Nam was awarded a state funeral and was buried in Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery.[7][6] Unlike some of his colleagues who were purged, Nam continues to appear in historical photographs.[2]
Awards[]
Order of Polonia Restituta, 2nd Class[8]
Citations[]
- ^ "Transcript of Armistice Agreement for the Restoration of the South Korean State (1953)". US National Archives. July 27, 1953. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Tertitskiy, Fyodor (19 July 2018). "Why do so many North Korean officials die in car crashes?". NK News.
- ^ Jager 2013, p. 195.
- ^ Futrell, p. 372.
- ^ Wilfred Burchett, Memoirs of a Rebel Journalist : The Autobiography of Wilfred Burchett (2005), edited by Nick Shimmin and George Burchett, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, New South Wales. ISBN 0-86840-842-5, p 385.
- ^ a b Bluth, Christoph (2008). Korea. Cambridge: Polity Press. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-07456-3357-2.
- ^ "Old Age, 'Unexpected Accidents' Lead to Reshuffle of North Korean Advisers". Amarillo Globe Times. UPI. 31 May 1976. p. 39. OCLC 13830894. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "Poland decorates Kim Il-sung". Hsinhua News Agency Release. Beijing: Hsinhua News Agency. 6 July 1956. p. 58.
References[]
- Futrell, Robert F. (1961).The United States Air Force in Korea 1950-1953. Air Force History and Museums Program year 2000 reprint of original Duel, Sloan and Pearce edition. ISBNs 0160488796, 978–0160488795.
- Jager, Sheila Miyoshi (2013). Brothers at War – The Unending Conflict in Korea. London: Profile Books. ISBN 978-1-84668-067-0.
External links[]
Media related to Nam Il at Wikimedia Commons
- North Korean generals
- North Korean military personnel of the Korean War
- Foreign ministers of North Korea
- North Korean atheists
- North Korean communists
- 1915 births
- 1976 deaths
- People from North Hamgyong
- Road incident deaths in North Korea
- Soviet people of Korean descent
- Soviet military personnel of World War II
- Members of the 1st Supreme People's Assembly
- Members of the 2nd Supreme People's Assembly
- Members of the 3rd Supreme People's Assembly
- Members of the 4th Supreme People's Assembly
- Members of the 5th Supreme People's Assembly
- Commanders with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta