Hwang Jang-yop
| Korean spelling | |
|---|---|
| Hangeul | 황장엽 |
| Hanja | 黃 長 燁 |
|
Revised Romanization |
Hwang Jang-yeop |
|
McCune- Reischauer |
Hwang Changyŏp |
Hwang Jang-yop (born February 17, 1923 in Kangdong , today part of the Pyongyang district ; † October 10, 2010 in Seoul , South Korea ) was a functionary of the North Korean Labor Party until he fled to South Korea in 1997. He is the highest-ranking North Korean who has fled to South Korea so far.
Party career
Hwang Jang-yop attended a business school in Heijō , which he graduated in 1941, while Korea was a province of Japan . He then began to study law in Tokyo , which he dropped out after two years, and worked as a math teacher at his former school. In November 1946 he became a member of the Labor Party of Korea (PdAK). From October 1949 to November 1953 he studied at Moscow University and then became a senior lecturer in philosophy at Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang. From January 1958 he worked for the General Secretariat of the PdAK. In April 1965 he became president of Kim-il-sung University. From 1972 to 1983 he was chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly . In October 1979 he became secretary of the PdAK for science and education, as well as head of the institute for research into the Chuch'e ideology . From April 1984 until his escape he was Secretary of the PdAK for Foreign Policy. From 1988 he was also head of the Research Institute for Party History. In December 1993 he became chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly. From 1995 until his escape, Hwang was chairman of the International Foundation for the Chuch'e Ideology.
Hwang was instrumental in developing and promoting the Chuch'e ideology. He was considered the chief ideologist of North Korea.
Escape
In 1997, Hwang Jang-yop never returned to North Korea from a trip to Tokyo. On February 12, 1997, he and Kim Dok-hong, who had accompanied him on the trip, sought political asylum at the consular section of the South Korean embassy in Beijing . Both stayed at the embassy for about a month and were eventually brought to the Philippines , from where, after another month, they were brought to South Korea on a special machine. Upon arrival, Hwang and Kim were questioned by the South Korean secret service on military and other issues. On July 10th, they held a press conference in which they discussed the reasons for their flight and their views on inter-Korean relations and the North Korean state. From his escape until his death, Hwang lived in a state-provided and secured apartment.
Private
Hwang Jang-yop was married to Pak Sung-ok, a former employee of the foreign-language literature publisher Pyongyang , whom he met while studying in Moscow . They had three daughters and one son.
Web links
- CV of Hwang and Kim, as well as report on the press conference etc. pp.
- With Hwang Jang-yop - Hwang Jang-yop on developments in North Korea at Daily NK
- Highest ranking N. Korean defector found dead in: The Korea Times of October 10, 2010
- Renegade ex-confidante of Kim Jong Il found dead in: Spiegel Online from October 10, 2010
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hwang, Jang-yop |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 황장엽 (Hangeul) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | North Korean Communist Party official |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 17, 1923 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kangdong , Pyongyang |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 10, 2010 |
| Place of death | Seoul , South Korea |