Lee Kwon-mu: Difference between revisions

Lee Kwon Mu
Hangul	리권무
Hanja	李權武
Revised Romanization	Ri Gwon-mu
McCune–Reischauer	Ri Kwŏnmu
South Korean spelling
Hangul	이권무
Revised Romanization	I Gwon-mu
McCune–Reischauer	Yi Kwŏnmu

Lee Kwon Mu
리권무
Lee Kwon Mu ; 리권무
Born	1914; Manchuria, Republic of China
Died	1986
Allegiance	China ; North Korea
Service/branch	Eighth Route Army; Korean People's Army Ground Force
Years of service	1948–1959
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	NK 4th Division; NK I Corps
Battles/wars	See battles Second Sino-Japanese War; Chinese Civil War; Korean War Battle of Uijeongbu Battle of Dongducheon; Battle of Pocheon; ; Battle of changdong Battle of miari; ; Battle of Han River; Battle of Sinsa-dong and Gwacheon; Battle Siheung-Anyang-Suwon; Battle of Osan; Battle of Pyongtaek; Battle of Chonan; Battle of before; Battle of Chochiwon; Battle of Taejon; Battle of Geochang; Battle of Hadong; Battle of Pusan Perimeter First Battle of Naktong Bulge; Second Battle of Naktong Bulge; Battle of Ponam Hill 328; ; Third Battle of Seoul; Battle of Yongsan; ;
Awards	Hero of the Republic; Order of the National Flag, First Class

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Lee Kwon-mu (Korean: 리권무; 1914–1986), also known as Yi Kwon-mu or Ri Gwon-mu,^[1] was a North Korean general officer during the Korean War. He commanded a division, and later a corps, on the front line of the conflict and received North Korea's two highest military honours, the Hero of the Republic and the Order of the National Flag, First Class.^[2]

Biography[edit]

Lee was born in Manchuria in 1914 to two Korean refugees. He joined the Chinese Communist Eighth Route Army, fighting both the Chinese Nationalists and the Imperial Japanese Army.^[3] Some reports indicate he was also a Lieutenant in the Soviet Red Army during World War II and a personal friend of Kim Il Sung.^[4]^[5] In 1948, Lee attended a military officer school in the Soviet Union.^[3] Upon returning to North Korea, he was appointed chief of staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA).^[4]

Korean War[edit]

Prior to the Korean War, Lee was recalled on personal order of the North Korean Premier Kim Il Sung. Kim personally gave Lee command of the newly formed 4th Division of the Korean People's Army Ground Force. As such he was made a Sojang, or Major General, in the Korean military.^[4]

On June 22, 1950, Lee issued his operational order to the NK 4th Division, stating it, along with the NK 1st Division and NK 3rd Division would attack Seoul before moving further down the Uijongbu corridor. Preparations for this order were completed by midnight of June 23.^[6]

On June 25, 1950, Lee subsequently led his division to the capture of Seoul in the First Battle of Seoul. He was awarded his decorations for this action. After Seoul, Lee was leading his division south when it encountered forces of Task Force Smith at Osan, defeating the US Army in its first engagement in Korea, the Battle of Osan on July 5.^[7] Lee's division went on to fight the US forces back further at the Battle of Pyongtaek, Battle of Chonan, the Battle of Chochiwon and the Battle of Uijeongbu. At the Battle of Taejon from July 12–20, Lee's division was pivotal in routing and defeating the US 24th Infantry Division, a feat for which it was upgraded to the status of a guards unit.^[8] Lee also received the Hero of the Chosun Minjujui Inmun Kongwhakuk (Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea) and the Order of the National Flag, First Class for his accomplishments.^[4]

Immediately thereafter, Lee's division advanced to the Pusan Perimeter, where the United Nations had established defensive positions around the port city of Pusan. Lee's division confronted the US 24th Infantry Division along the Naktong River from August 5–19, the First Battle of Naktong Bulge. His division, originally numbering 7,000, was reduced to 3,500 in this fight. It was defeated and forced back across the river to rebuild.^[8]

After the defeat of the North Korean forces at the Pusan Perimeter, Lee was promoted to Lieutenant General and relieved Kim Ung as the commander of the NK I Corps.^[9] Under his command, the NK I Corps participated in the Chinese Third, Fourth and Fifth Phase Offensive in 1951.^[10]

Later life[edit]

After the war, Lee resumed his position as the chief of staff of the KPA. By 1959, however, Kim Il Sung systematically purged all rivals within the Soviet and Chinese factions of the KPA, and Lee was removed from his position.^[11] He disappeared from public life soon after his removal.^[5]

Notes[edit]

^ Edwards 2006, p. 476
^ Fehrenbach 2001, p. 139
^ ^a ^b Fehrenbach 2001, p. 121
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Appleman 1998, p. 293
^ ^a ^b Leckie 1996, p. 109
^ Appleman 1998, p. 20
^ Alexander 2003, p. 60
^ ^a ^b Fehrenbach 2001, p. 134
^ KPA I Army Corps, Alexandria, VA: GlobalSecurity.org, retrieved 2010-12-01
^ Chinese Military Science Academy 2000, pp. 369, 373, 378.
^ Alagappa 2001, p. 363

References[edit]

Alagappa, Muthiah (2001), Coercion and Governance: the Declining Political Role of the Military in Asia, Stanford University Press, ISBN 978-0-8047-4227-6
Alexander, Bevin (2003), Korea: The First War We Lost, Hippocrene Books, ISBN 978-0-7818-1019-7
Appleman, Roy E. (1998), South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu: United States Army in the Korean War, Department of the Army, ISBN 978-0-16-001918-0, archived from the original on 2014-02-07, retrieved 2010-12-22
Chinese Military Science Academy (2000), History of War to Resist America and Aid Korea (抗美援朝战争史) (in Chinese), vol. II, Beijing: Chinese Military Science Academy Publishing House, ISBN 7-80137-390-1
Edwards, Paul M. (2006), Korean War Almanac, Infobase Publishing, ISBN 978-0-8160-6037-5
Fehrenbach, T.R. (2001), This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History – Fiftieth Anniversary Edition, Potomac Books Inc., ISBN 978-1-57488-334-3
Leckie, Robert (1996), Conflict: The History Of The Korean War, 1950-1953, Da Capo Press, ISBN 978-0-306-80716-9

Military offices
Preceded by Kim Kwang-hyop	Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army September 1957-July 1959	Succeeded by Kim Chang-bong

[edwards476-1] Edwards 2006, p. 476

[fehrenbach139-2] Fehrenbach 2001, p. 139

[Fehr121-3] Fehrenbach 2001, p. 121

[Apple293-4] Appleman 1998, p. 293

[leckie109-5] Leckie 1996, p. 109

[6] Appleman 1998, p. 20

[Alex60-7] Alexander 2003, p. 60

[Fehr134-8] Fehrenbach 2001, p. 134

[9] KPA I Army Corps, Alexandria, VA: GlobalSecurity.org, retrieved 2010-12-01

[cmsa369_373_378-10] Chinese Military Science Academy 2000, pp. 369, 373, 378.

[alagappa363-11] Alagappa 2001, p. 363

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

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[11]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Korean name|[[Lee (Korean name)|Lee]]}}
+{{Short description|North Korean general (1914–1986)}}
+{{family name hatnote|[[Lee (Korean name)|Lee]]||lang=Korean}}
 {{Infobox military person
-|name= Lee Kwon Mu <br> 리권무
+| name          = Lee Kwon Mu <br /> 리권무
-|birth_date= 1914
+| birth_date    = 1914
-|death_date= 1986?
+| death_date    = 1986
-|birth_place= [[Manchuria]]
+| birth_place   = [[Manchuria]], [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|Republic of China]]
-|death_place=
+| death_place   =
-|placeofburial=
+| placeofburial =
-|image=
+| image         =
-|caption=
+| caption       =
-|allegiance= {{flag|China}} <br> {{flag|North Korea}}
+| allegiance    = {{flag|China}} <br /> {{flag|North Korea|1948}}
-|branch= [[File:Flag of the Chinese Communist Party.svg|23px]] [[Eighth Route Army]]<br>{{army|North Korea}}
+| branch        = [[File:Flag of the Chinese Communist Party (Pre-1996).svg|23px]] [[Eighth Route Army]]<br />{{army|North Korea}}
-|serviceyears= {{flagicon|North Korea}} 1948–1959
+| serviceyears  = {{flagicon|North Korea|1948}} 1948–1959
-|rank= [[File:Flag of the Korean People's Army Ground Force.svg|18px]] [[Lieutenant General]]
+| rank          = [[File:Flag of the Korean People's Army Ground Force.svg|18px]] [[Lieutenant General]]
-|servicenumber=
+| servicenumber =
-|commands= [[NK 4th Division]]<br>[[NK I Corps]]
+| commands      = [[NK 4th Division]]<br />[[NK I Corps]]
-|battles= [[Korean War]]
+| battles       = {{hidden |See battles
+| {{Tree list}}
-|awards= Hero of the Republic<br>Order of the National Flag, First Class
+* [[Second Sino-Japanese War]]
-|family=
+* [[Chinese Civil War]]
-|laterwork=
+* [[Korean War]]
-|enteredservice=
+** [[Battle of Uijeongbu]]
+*** Battle of Dongducheon
+*** Battle of Pocheon
+** Battle of changdong
+*** Battle of miari
+** Battle of Han River
+** Battle of Sinsa-dong and Gwacheon
+** Battle Siheung-Anyang-Suwon
+** [[Battle of Osan]]
+** [[Battle of Pyongtaek]]
+** [[Battle of Chonan]]
+** Battle of before
+** [[Battle of Chochiwon]]
+** [[Battle of Taejon]]
+** Battle of Geochang
+** Battle of Hadong
+** [[Battle of Pusan Perimeter]]
+*** [[First Battle of Naktong Bulge]]
+*** [[Second Battle of Naktong Bulge]]
+*** Battle of Ponam Hill 328
+** [[Third Battle of Seoul]]
+** [[Battle of Yongsan]]
+{{Tree list/end}}
+}}
+| awards        = [[Hero of the Republic]]<br />[[Order of the National Flag]], First Class
 }}
@@ Line 34: / Line 60: @@
 }}
-'''Lee Kwon Mu''', ({{lang-ko|'''리권무'''}}, [[Hanja]]: {{lang|ko|'''李權武'''}}) also known as '''Yi Kwon-mu''' or '''Ri Gwon-mu''', (1914–1986?)<ref name=edwards476>{{harvnb|Edwards|2006|p=476}}</ref> was a [[North Korean People's Army]] general officer during the [[Korean War]]. He commanded a division, and later a corps, on the front line of the conflict and received [[North Korea]]'s two highest military honours, the [[Orders and Medals of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea#Titles|Hero of the Republic]] and the Order of the National Flag, First Class.
+'''Lee Kwon-mu''' ({{lang-ko|리권무}}; 1914–1986), also known as '''Yi Kwon-mu''' or '''Ri Gwon-mu''',<ref name=edwards476>{{harvnb|Edwards|2006|p=476}}</ref> was a North Korean general officer during the [[Korean War]]. He commanded a division, and later a corps, on the front line of the conflict and received [[North Korea]]'s two highest military honours, the [[Hero of the Republic]] and the [[Order of the National Flag]], First Class.<ref name=fehrenbach139>{{harvnb|Fehrenbach|2001|p=139}}</ref>
-== Early life ==
+== Biography ==
-Lee was born in [[Manchuria]] in 1914 to two Korean refugees. He joined the [[Chinese Communist]] [[Eighth Route Army]], fighting both the [[Kuomintang|Chinese Nationalists]] and the [[Imperial Japanese Army]].<ref name="Fehr121">{{harvnb|Fehrenbach|2001|p=121}}</ref> Some reports indicate he was also a [[Lieutenant]] in the [[Soviet Red Army]] during World War II and a personal friend of [[Kim Il-sung]].<ref name="Apple293">{{harvnb|Appleman|1998|p=293}}</ref><ref name=leckie109/> In 1948, Lee attended a [[Officer (armed forces)|military officer]] school in the [[Soviet Union]].<ref name="Fehr121"/> Upon returning to North Korea, he was appointed [[chief of staff]] of the [[Korean People's Army]] (KPA).<ref name="Apple293"/>
+Lee was born in [[Manchuria]] in 1914 to two Korean refugees. He joined the [[Chinese Communist]] [[Eighth Route Army]], fighting both the [[Kuomintang|Chinese Nationalists]] and the [[Imperial Japanese Army]].<ref name="Fehr121">{{harvnb|Fehrenbach|2001|p=121}}</ref> Some reports indicate he was also a [[Lieutenant]] in the [[Soviet Red Army]] during World War II and a personal friend of [[Kim Il Sung]].<ref name="Apple293">{{harvnb|Appleman|1998|p=293}}</ref><ref name=leckie109/> In 1948, Lee attended a [[Officer (armed forces)|military officer]] school in the [[Soviet Union]].<ref name="Fehr121"/> Upon returning to North Korea, he was appointed [[chief of staff]] of the [[Korean People's Army]] (KPA).<ref name="Apple293"/>
-== Korean War ==
+=== Korean War ===
-Prior to the Korean War, Lee was recalled on personal order of the [[List of Premiers of North Korea|North Korean Premier]] Kim Il-sung. Kim personally gave Lee command of the newly formed [[NK 4th Division|4th Division]] of the [[Korean People's Army Ground Force]]. As such he was made a ''[[Sojang]]'', or [[Major General]], in the Korean military.<ref name="Apple293"/>
+Prior to the Korean War, Lee was recalled on personal order of the [[List of Premiers of North Korea|North Korean Premier]] Kim Il Sung. Kim personally gave Lee command of the newly formed [[NK 4th Division|4th Division]] of the [[Korean People's Army Ground Force]]. As such he was made a ''[[Sojang]]'', or [[Major General]], in the Korean military.<ref name="Apple293"/>
 On June 22, 1950, Lee issued his [[Operations order|operational order]] to the NK 4th Division, stating it, along with the [[NK 1st Division]] and [[NK 3rd Division]] would attack [[Seoul]] before moving further down the [[Uijongbu]] corridor. Preparations for this order were completed by midnight of June 23.<ref>{{harvnb|Appleman|1998|p=20}}</ref>
-Lee subsequently led his division to the capture of [[Seoul]] in the [[First Battle of Seoul]]. He was awarded his decorations for this action. After Seoul, Lee was leading his division south when it encountered forces of [[Task Force Smith]] at [[Osan]], defeating the [[US Army]] in its first engagement in Korea, the [[Battle of Osan]] on July 5.<ref name="Alex60">{{harvnb|Alexander|2003|p=60}}</ref> Lee's division went on to fight the US forces back further at the [[Battle of Pyongtaek]], [[Battle of Chonan]], and [[Battle of Chochiwon]]. At the [[Battle of Taejon]] from July 12–20, Lee's division was pivotal in routing and defeating the [[US 24th Infantry Division]], a feat for which it was upgraded to the status of a [[guards unit]].<ref name="Fehr134">{{harvnb|Fehrenbach|2001|p=134}}</ref> Lee also received the [[Hero of the Chosun Minjujui Inmun Kongwhakuk]] (Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea) and the [[Order of the National Flag]], First Class for his accomplishments.<ref name="Apple293"/>
+On June 25, 1950, Lee subsequently led his division to the capture of [[Seoul]] in the [[First Battle of Seoul]]. He was awarded his decorations for this action. After Seoul, Lee was leading his division south when it encountered forces of [[Task Force Smith]] at [[Osan]], defeating the [[US Army]] in its first engagement in Korea, the [[Battle of Osan]] on July 5.<ref name="Alex60">{{harvnb|Alexander|2003|p=60}}</ref> Lee's division went on to fight the US forces back further at the [[Battle of Pyongtaek]], [[Battle of Chonan]], the [[Battle of Chochiwon]] and the [[Battle of Uijeongbu]]. At the [[Battle of Taejon]] from July 12–20, Lee's division was pivotal in routing and defeating the [[US 24th Infantry Division]], a feat for which it was upgraded to the status of a [[guards unit]].<ref name="Fehr134">{{harvnb|Fehrenbach|2001|p=134}}</ref> Lee also received the [[Hero of the Chosun Minjujui Inmun Kongwhakuk]] (Hero of the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea) and the [[Order of the National Flag]], First Class for his accomplishments.<ref name="Apple293"/>
 Immediately thereafter, Lee's division advanced to the [[Pusan Perimeter]], where the [[United Nations]] had established defensive positions around the port city of [[Pusan]]. Lee's division confronted the US 24th Infantry Division along the [[Naktong River]] from August 5–19, the [[First Battle of Naktong Bulge]]. His division, originally numbering 7,000, was reduced to 3,500 in this fight. It was defeated and forced back across the river to rebuild.<ref name="Fehr134"/>
@@ Line 50: / Line 76: @@
 After the defeat of the North Korean forces at the Pusan Perimeter, Lee was promoted to [[Lieutenant General]] and relieved Kim Ung as the commander of the [[NK I Corps]].<ref>{{citation | url = http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/dprk/i-corps.htm | title = KPA I Army Corps | publisher = GlobalSecurity.org | accessdate=2010-12-01 | location = Alexandria, VA}}</ref> Under his command, the NK I Corps participated in the Chinese Third, Fourth and Fifth Phase Offensive in 1951.<ref name=cmsa369_373_378>{{harvnb|Chinese Military Science Academy|2000|pp=369, 373, 378}}.</ref>
-==Later life==
+===Later life===
+After the war, Lee resumed his position as the chief of staff of the KPA. By 1959, however, Kim Il Sung systematically purged all rivals within the Soviet and Chinese factions of the KPA, and Lee was removed from his position.<ref name=alagappa363>{{harvnb|Alagappa|2001|p=363}}</ref> He disappeared from public life soon after his removal.<ref name=leckie109>{{harvnb|Leckie|1996|p=109}}</ref>
-After the war, Lee resumed his position as the chief of staff of the KPA. By 1959, however, Kim Il-sung systematically purged all rivals within the Soviet and Chinese factions of the KPA, and Lee was removed from his position.<ref name=alagappa363>{{harvnb|Alagappa|2001|p=363}}</ref> He disappeared from public life soon after his removal.<ref name=leckie109>{{harvnb|Leckie|1996|p=109}}</ref>
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 61: / Line 86: @@
 *{{citation|last=Alagappa|first=Muthiah|title=Coercion and Governance: the Declining Political Role of the Military in Asia|publisher=Stanford University Press|year=2001|isbn=978-0-8047-4227-6}}
 *{{citation|first=Bevin |last=Alexander |authorlink=Bevin Alexander |title=Korea: The First War We Lost |publisher=[[Hippocrene Books]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-7818-1019-7}}
-*{{citation|last=Appleman |first=Roy E. | url = http://www.history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/toc.htm|title=South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu: United States Army in the Korean War |year=1998 |publisher=[[Department of the Army]] |isbn=978-0-16-001918-0}}
+*{{citation |last=Appleman |first=Roy E. |url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/toc.htm |title=South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu: United States Army in the Korean War |year=1998 |publisher=[[Department of the Army]] |isbn=978-0-16-001918-0 |access-date=2010-12-22 |archive-date=2014-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140207235336/http://www.history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/toc.htm |url-status=dead }}
-*{{zh icon}} {{citation | last = Chinese Military Science Academy | volume = Volume II | year = 2000 | title = History of War to Resist America and Aid Korea (抗美援朝战争史) | publisher = Chinese Military Science Academy Publishing House | location = Beijing | isbn = 7-80137-390-1}}
+*{{citation | last = Chinese Military Science Academy | volume = II | year = 2000 | title = History of War to Resist America and Aid Korea (抗美援朝战争史) | publisher = Chinese Military Science Academy Publishing House | location = Beijing | isbn = 7-80137-390-1|language=zh}}
-*{{citation|first=Paul M. |last=Edwards |title=Korean War Almanac |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8160-6037-5}}
+*{{citation |first=Paul M. |last=Edwards |title=Korean War Almanac |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8160-6037-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816060375 }}
 *{{citation|first=T.R. |last=Fehrenbach |authorlink=T. R. Fehrenbach |title=This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History – Fiftieth Anniversary Edition |publisher=Potomac Books Inc. |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-57488-334-3}}
 *{{citation |first=Robert |last=Leckie |title=Conflict: The History Of The Korean War, 1950-1953 |year=1996 |publisher=[[Da Capo Press]] |isbn=978-0-306-80716-9}}
 {{refend}}
+{{s-start}}
+{{s-mil}}
+{{s-bef|before=[[Kim Kwang-hyop]]}}
+{{s-ttl|title=[[Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army]]|years=September 1957-July 1959}}
+{{s-aft|after=[[Kim Chang-bong]]}}
+|-
+{{s-end}}
+{{Commanders of the Korean People's Army}}
-{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
-| NAME              = Lee, Kwon Mu
-| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
-| SHORT DESCRIPTION = North Korean general
-| DATE OF BIRTH     = 1914
-| PLACE OF BIRTH    = [[Manchuria]]
-| DATE OF DEATH     =  1986
-| PLACE OF DEATH    =
-}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Kwon Mu}}
 [[Category:North Korean generals]]
 [[Category:Korean expatriates in China]]
 [[Category:North Korean expatriates in the Soviet Union]]
-[[Category:National Heroes of North Korea]]
+[[Category:Heroes of the Republic (North Korea)]]
 [[Category:1914 births]]
 [[Category:1986 deaths]]
+[[Category:North Korean military personnel of the Korean War]]
+[[Category:Yan'an faction]]
+[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the National Flag]]

v t e Commanders of the Korean People's Army
Chief Commander	Choe Yong-gon (1948–50)
Supreme Commanders	Kim Il Sung (1950–91) Kim Jong Il (1991–2011) Kim Jong Un (2011–present)
Ministry of Defence	Choe Yong-gon (1948–57) Kim Kwang-hyop (1957–62) Kim Chang-bong (1962–68) Choe Hyon (1968–76) O Jin-u (1976–95) Choe Kwang (1995–97) Kim Il-chol (1997–2009) Kim Yong-chun (2009–12) Kim Jong-gak (2012) Kim Kyok-sik (2012–13) Jang Jong-nam (2013–14) Hyon Yong-chol (2014–15) Unknown (2015) Pak Yong-sik (2015–18) No Kwang-chol (2018–19) Kim Jong-gwan (2019–present)
Chiefs of the General Staff	Kang Kon (1948–50) Nam Il (1950–53) Kim Kwang-hyop (1953–57) Lee Kwon-mu (1957–59) Kim Chang-bong (1959–62) Choe Kwang (1962–68) O Jin-u (1968–79) O Kuk-ryol (1979–88) Choe Kwang (1988–95) Kim Yong-chun (1995–2007) Kim Kyok-sik (2007–09) Ri Yong-ho (2009–12) Hyon Yong-chol (2012–13) Kim Kyok-sik (2013) Ri Yong-gil (2013–16) Ri Myong-su (2016–18) Ri Yong-gil (2018–19) Pak Jong-chon (2019–21) Rim Kwang-il (2021–22) Ri Thae-sop (2022) Park Su-il (2022–23) Ri Yong-gil (2023–present)
Italics indicate interim officeholder