Kim Ung (Korean김웅; Korean pronunciation: [ki.muŋ] or [kim] [uŋ]; 1912 – ?[1]) was a North Korean general and vice-minister of defence.[2][1] He was a member of the Yan'an faction.

Kim Ung
Personal details
Born1912 (1912)
Gimcheon, Keishōhoku-dō (North Gyeongsang Province), Korea, Empire of Japan[1]
CitizenshipNorth Korean
NationalityKorean
Military service
AllegianceKorean People's Army
Years of service1945–1950
CommandsKPA front commander
Battles/wars
Kim Ung
Chosŏn'gŭl
김웅
Hancha
金雄
Revised RomanizationGim Ung
McCune–ReischauerKim Ung
Alternative name
Chosŏn'gŭl
왕신호
Hancha
王信虎
Revised RomanizationWang Sinho
McCune–ReischauerWang Sinho
[1]

Chinese military edit

Kim fled China to avoid the Japanese occupation, and was trained at the Whampoa Military Academy in the late 1920s or early 1930s. He became a communist and probably was on the Long March. During the late 1930s and the 1940s he was in the Eighth Route Army and became brigadier or divisional commander.[2]

Korean war edit

On the outbreak of war, 25 June 1950, Kim was a lieutenant general commanding 1 Corps of the Korean People's Army (KPA).[2] On the death in action of Lieutenant General Kang Kon, Kim succeeded him as chief of staff to General Kim Chaek, front commander.

By 1951 Kim Ung was KPA front commander,[3] succeeding Kim Chaek, who was purged for his failure at the Incheon Landing, Kim Ung held the post until the end of the war.[2]

Post war edit

After the war Kim Ung was appointed vice Defence Minister of North Korea. In 1958 he was purged by Kim Il Sung, rehabilitated and purged again in 1978.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Kim, Seonguk. 김웅(金雄) [Kim Ung] (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Spencer Tucker (2003). Who's Who in Twentieth Century Warfare. Routledge. pp. 168–9. ISBN 9781134565153.
  3. ^ Rober M. Collins (2014). "Korean Peoples Army". The Ashgate Research Companion to the Korean War. Ashgate research companions. Professor Donald W Boose Jr, Professor James I Matray (editors). Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 257. ISBN 9781472405838.