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

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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

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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

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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

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  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.