Pak Il-u
Korean independence activist and first Interior Minister of North Korea.
Pak Il-u (1903 – c. 1955) was a Korean independence activist, military officer, and politician. Following the formal establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, he was the first Minister of Interior in the North Korean Cabinet. Born in Hoeryong, North Hamgyeong Province, he moved to Manchuria as a child, graduated from Yongjeong, Gil-hyeon, Jilin Province, and served as a teacher. He joined the Chinese Communist Party under the pseudonym Wang Wei. After the Second Sino-Japanese War, he worked in the Jin-Cha-Ji border region. Following the July 7th Incident, he joined the first guerrilla detachment in Pingxi in winter 1937, and by January 1938 he was in the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region. He served as an instructor at the Coastal Military Administration University and in July 1938 was appointed Deputy Commander of the Korea Medical School. In July 1942, he went to the Taihang Mountain Anti-Japanese Revolutionary Base to help establish the Korean Independence Alliance and the Korean Volunteer Army. An earlier CIA document claimed Pak and the Independence Alliance were affiliated with the Soviets, but later files corrected that he was a member of the Yan'an faction and the only Korean known to have graduated from the Central Party School.
Quick Facts
- Honorific prefix
- Vice Marshal
- Office
- Minister of Communications
- Convocation
- 1st term
- Term
- March 1953 – November 1955; 1st Cabinet of North Korea
- Premier
- Kim Il-sung
- Predecessor
- Kim Jong-ju
- Successor
- Kim Chang-hup
- Born
- 1903
Facts from the source article.
Return to Korea
Pak Il-u was a standing member of the Central Committee of the Korean Independence Alliance and a deputy commander of the Korean Volunteer Army. CIA information indicated he served as Director of the Alliance's Central Politico-Military School. After entering Korea in November 1945, he was active in political matters. In August 1946 he became senior Member of the Central Committee of the North Korean Workers' Party, and by February 1947 he was appointed Director of Internal Affairs of the People's Committee of North Korea. On 2 September 1947, the CIA identified him as Director of the Internal Affairs Bureau, which was already operating a 'secret police' system with the authority to arrest even provincial governors. In March 1948, he became a member of the Central Committee of the North Korean Workers' Party. Following the formal declaration of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, he was elected to the first convocation of the Supreme People's Assembly and appointed the first Minister of Interior in the North Korean Cabinet led by Premier Kim Il Sung until 1953, and was awarded the rank of Lieutenant General. During this period, the CIA ranked Pak as the most important minister in North Korea. On 21 April 1949, the Hwanghae Inminpo reported his appointment as member of the National Budget Reviewing Committee. In early May, two metal patrol vessels for the Coast Guard, each weighing 200 tons, were launched in the presence of Pak Il-u at the Kalpo-ri shipyard. Other US intelligence files recorded his role as spokesperson for the People's Army. In June 1949, Pak became a member of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea; in June 1950 he became a member of the Military Committee. On November that year, he became Vice Commander of the Front Command, and Minister of Political Security by July 1951. Under his instructions, the Interior Ministry participated in the construction of air raid shelters. On 10 September 1950, Pak attended Kang Kon's funeral. In November 1950, he served as Deputy Commander of the Korean People's Army Frontline Command (1950.11-1952.2). In December, he served as Deputy Political Commissar of the Joint Command of the Chinese People's Volunteers and the Korean People's Army. On December 19, Pak was recorded as a former Politburo member of the North Korean Workers' Party and a new Politburo member of the Korean Central Workers' Party after the merging of the Northern and Southern parties. On 5 October 1951, the CIA commented on his political leanings. A news report from the Sopuk Sinmun had accused Pak and Minister of Defense Choe Yong-gon of abusing their authority for personal enrichment; Pak Il-u's wealth was estimated at 200 million won in 1950 money. In 1951, Kim Il-sung dismissed Mu Chong, the most powerful figure in the Yan'an faction, on the grounds of 'losing Pyongyang' and 'weak combat effectiveness.' CIA information stated that Kim later tried to place the blame for war on Mu and Pak, but was unsuccessful. During the Korean War, clashes between Chinese and North Korean troops meant Pak Il-u had to serve as mediator, and his appointment to the Joint Command formalized his authority on this front. On 12 February 1952, Pak attended a special staff meeting at the North Korean Army General Headquarters, where general North Korean military policies in a post-ceasefire scenario were finalized. He was raised to the military rank of Vice Marshal in 1953. According to the CIA, Pak was still serving as Interior Minister and Director for the Workers' Party's Political Training and Election committees as late as mid-January 1953. Another report pushed his resignation as Interior Minister back to November 1952, while South Korea's Chungang Ilbo pinpointed the exact time of this shuffle to fall 1952. Before the reorganization of ministries, Pak's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Pang Hak-se's Ministry of Social Security were both 'interested in intelligence matters and there was overlapping and duplication of efforts.' Employees of both ministries wore the same uniform and were confused over lines of authority, which 'led to many petty feuds and jealousies.'
Death
Pak Il-u, considered to be a personal representative of Mao Zedong, was replaced by Choe Yong-gon in the post of deputy political commissar of the Joint Command of the Chinese and Korean Army in February 1953. By March of the same year, when the North Korean cabinet was re-elected, he was removed from the position of Interior Minister and appointed Minister of Communications, until November 1955 when he was purged and later executed. In early to mid-1953, by then still a minister and Party member, Pak Il-u was reportedly displeased with the favor shown to Soviet Koreans. The CIA believed that Pak and Mu Chong sought to unite with Pak Hon-yong rather than Kim Il-sung, thus laying the foundation for their downfall. In the fallout of the Pak Hon-yong espionage case, a special court chaired by Choe Yong-gon ordered Pak Il-u's expulsion from the Workers' Party.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Pak Il-u born?
Pak Il-u was born in 1903 in Hoeryong, North Hamgyeong Province, Korean Empire.
Where did Pak Il-u study?
Pak Il-u studied at Taesong School and Central Party School.
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