Kang Ryang-uk

Korean spelling
Chosŏn'gŭl	강 량욱
Hancha	康良煜
Revised Romanization	Gang Ryang-uk
McCune- Reischauer	Kang Ryanguk
See also : Korean name

Kang Ryang-uk ( December 7, 1904 , † January 9, 1983 ) was a North Korean clergyman and politician.

Kang Ryang-uk was a maternal uncle of North Korean dictator Kim Il-sung . He first worked as a teacher and at times also taught his nephew. In the 1940s he studied theology at Pyongyang University and thus became a Protestant pastor .

After Kim Il-sung's return from the Soviet Union , Kang became one of the head of state's closest advisers. In 1946 he became chairman of the Christian League (later Christian Federation ), a religious organization closely linked to the Communist Party . After the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), all Protestant pastors in the country had to join Kang's organization.

Activists who had previously carried out an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Kim Il-sung murdered Kang's son and mother in the 1940s. Kang later became vice chairman of the Democratic Party . He was also deputy head of government and from December 12, 1972 to November 2, 1986, deputy president of the Supreme People's Assembly .

After Kang's death, his son Kang Yŏng-sŏp took over from him as chairman of the Christian Federation.

Web links

• New York Times : Kang Ryang Uk, 79, a Leader Of North Korean Communists

Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Korean. Kang is the family name here, Ryang-uk is the first name.