Chung Il-kwon

Chung Il-kwon moved from military command into diplomacy and then the leadership of Park Chung-hee's government. Born in 1917, he trained in Manchuria and Japan and served in Manchukuo's army. After liberation, he entered the South Korean military, commanded during the Korean War, and studied at the U.S. Army's staff college. He became army chief of staff and chairman of the Joint Chiefs before retiring from active service in 1957. Diplomatic appointments took him to Turkey, France, and the United States. ¹

In Washington, Chung pressed Kennedy about the implications of a settlement between Korea and Japan backed by the United States. In October 1962, he asked whether Washington intended to transfer responsibility for Korean security and development to Japan. Kennedy replied that Japanese assistance should supplement American support, while the United States would retain its military commitment. Chung also presented comparisons with North Korean industrial production and South Korea's development targets. ²

Chung became foreign minister in 1963 and prime minister in 1964, holding the premiership until 1970 and combining it with another period as foreign minister. Elected to the National Assembly, he served as speaker from 1973 to 1979 under the Yushin constitutional system. His later activities included leadership of the Korea Freedom Federation. He died in Hawaii in 1994. ¹