Nam Il

Nam Il
Nam Il waiting to depart from the Korean War Armistice Negotiations site at Kaesong, Korea. August 1, 1951.
Born	June 5, 1915 Russian Far East
Died	March 7, 1976 (aged 60) North Korea
Buried at	North Korea
Allegiance	North Korea  Soviet Union
Service/branch	Korean People's Army Soviet Army
Years of service	1948–1976 1940s
Rank	General
Relations	Nam Jong-son
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl	남일
Hancha	南日
Revised Romanization	Nam Il
McCune–Reischauer	Nam Il

Nam Il (June 5, 1915 – March 7, 1976) was a North Korean General in the Korean People's Army and co-signer of the Korean Armistice Agreement.^[1]

Nam was born in the Russian Far East to Korean parents on June 5, 1915.^[2]

Educated at Smolensk Military School and at Tashkent, Nam became chief of staff of a Soviet Army division during World War II.^[2] He took part in some of the greatest battles, including Stalingrad.^[3]

Returning to Korea at end of the war, Nam later served as North Korean Foreign Minister and Chief of Staff of the Korean People's Army.

When the Korean War reached a stalemate in July 1951, Nam served as the Communists' chief delegate at the armistice talks.^[4] He was famous for smoking using an amber cigarette holder.^[5]

Nam died in 1976, officially after a collision between his car and a truck. It has been suggested that this is unlikely, and that he was actually purged as a potential rival to Kim Il-sung.^[6]

Citations

1. "Transcript of Armistice Agreement for the Restoration of the South Korean State (1953)". US National Archives. July 27, 1953. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
2. http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=76705
3. Jager 2013, p. 195.
4. Futrell, p. 372.
5. Wilfred Burchett, Memoirs of a Rebel Journalist : The Autobiography of Wilfred Burchett (2005), edited by Nick Shimmin and George Burchett, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney, New South Wales. ISBN 0-86840-842-5, p 385.
6. Bluth, Christoph (2008). Korea. Cambridge: Polity Press. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-07456-3357-2.

References

• Futrell, Robert F. (1961).The United States Air Force in Korea 1950-1953. Air Force History and Museums Program year 2000 reprint of original Duel, Sloan and Pearce edition. ISBNs 0160488796, 978-0160488795.
• Jager, Sheila Miyoshi (2013). Brothers at War – The Unending Conflict in Korea. London: Profile Books. ISBN 978-1-84668-067-0.