Chung Il Kwon

▪ 1995

      Korean army officer and politician (b. Nov. 21, 1917, North Hamgyong province, Korea—d. Jan. 17, 1994, Hawaii), was the commander of South Korean troops during some of the most intense fighting with North Korean and Chinese forces during the Korean War (1950-53), and he was hailed as a national hero for his brilliant tactical skills. He led the army during the September 1950 UN landing at Inchon, which crippled the North Korean offensive. Chung was a 1940 graduate of Tokyo's Military Academy and served in Japan's Imperial army during World War II. He then joined the Chinese Nationalist army before entering the South Korean army. Chung retired from the military in 1957 as a four-star general. During the 1960s he was ambassador to the U.S., France, and several Latin-American countries. He served as prime minister (1964-70) under Pres. Park Chung Hee, who had seized power in 1961. Chung then held a number of government posts before Chun Doo Hwan assumed the presidency in 1980.

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