O Jin-u


O Jin-u was a general and politician of North Korea. He was the Minister of Armed Forces for many years until his death in February 1995. O was the third most powerful person in North Korea, after Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il. Very little is known about him except for the fact that 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 and was a trusted adviser of the North Korean leader until his death, also being his chief guard in 1945.

Biography

Born into a poor peasant family in Bukcheong, South Gyeongsang Province, he moved to Manchuria in 1933 and participated in the anti-Japanese activity. During his partisan activities, he joined with Kim Il-sung to serve as a military officer in the Northeast Anti-Japanese Army in 1938. From September 1946, he became military vice-president of the Central Security Officer School. In February 1948, he joined the Korean People's Army, which had just been established, and served as chief of staff of a brigade. In 1949, he served as the principal of the military school. After the Korean War broke out, he became the 43rd Division Commander. He led the 766th Independent Infantry Regiment to attack the Busan Ring Defensive Circle. O rose rapidly through military ranks: he was appointed chief of staff of the Korean People's Air Force in 1958, vice-minister of the Ministry of People's Security in 1962, general in 1963, director of the KPA General Political Bureau in 1967 and Chief of the General Staff in 1968. This concurred with his ascent to the top leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea, becoming Central Committee member in 1954, Political Committee member in 1966, Secretariat member in 1968 and Presidium member in 1977. Extremely close to Kim Il-sung, he is credited among the top officials who "proposed" Kim Jong-il to be Kim Il-sung's heir at a Central Committee plenum in 1974.
A deputy to the Supreme People's Assembly since 1960, O was appointed member of the top Central People's Committee immediately after its establishment in 1972, as well as vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission and minister of the People's Armed Forces in 1976. He was also promoted to Vice Marshal in 1985 and Marshal in 1992.
After Kim Jong-il was made Chairman of the National Defence Commission in 1993, O replaced him as its first vice-chairman. He also was the second ranking member of the Kim Il-Sung funeral committee in 1994, immediately beneath Kim Jong-Il. He was also the last surviving WPK Presidium member along with the new leader.
He was one of three military officers in the North Korean Armed Forces who reached rank of Marshal with the title "Marshal of the Korean People's Army".
In January of 2017, it was reported that his three sons, O Il-hun, O Il-jong and O Il-su had been "purged" by Kim Jong-un. However there was no official reason given on why it occured but it is believed that Kim Jong-un did it to consolidate power due to their relation to O and that he viewed their relation to O as a possible threat to his ruling of the DPRK. Considering how revered O is in the DPRK to still receive the title of "Revolutionary Martyr" shocked observers that his sons were purged as respected officials relatives tend to be well taken care of.

Illness and death

O received medical treatment in France.
He died of lung cancer in 1995, a year after Kim Il-sung. After O's death, Kim Jong-il left the minister's position vacant for more than seven months before naming a new minister, Choi Kwang.
A funeral committee of 240 members was appointed for O. It included :
  1. Kim Jong-il
  2. Kang Song-san
  3. Ri Jong-ok
  4. Pak Song-chol
  5. Kim Yong-ju
  6. Kim Yong-nam
  7. Choe Kwang
  8. Kye Ung-thae
  9. Chon Pyong-ho
  10. Han Song-yong
  11. So Yun-sok
  12. Kim Chol-man
  13. Choe Tae-pok
  14. Choe Yong-nim
  15. Hong Song-nam
  16. Yang Hyong-sop
  17. Hong Sok-hyong
  18. Yon Hyon-muk

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