Author: Joseph Gulden
Translator: Tan Feng, Yu Bin, Jiang Weiming
Publisher: Beijing United Publishing Company
Publication time: May 1, 2014
Chapter 4 Whale Fighting Shrimp
Secretary of State Dean Acheson is skilled at rhetoric and shows anger. At a particularly frustrating moment during the Korean War, he angrily stood up and shouted, "If the smartest people in the world were to try to find the worst place in the world for us to wage this damn war, politically and militarily, they would all choose North Korea without exception Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Indeed, South Korea, as an ally recognized by the United Nations, is a rather awkward partner, but there are reasons for this. North Korea has always been and continues to be one of the unfortunate countries, always caught in the cracks of world power politics, constantly being manipulated, trampled upon, and occupied by neighboring powers. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
In the eyes of North Koreans, China, Japan, and Russia are generational enemies. Whenever Japan ventures to launch periodic imperialist conquests on the Asian continent, Korea is the most ideal route of invasion. From a defensive perspective, Japan sees the Korean Peninsula as a dagger aimed at it from China. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
For centuries, each of these adversaries has exploited North Korea for their own selfish interests, and North Korea cannot expect any of these countries to "protect" it unless some exchange conditions are allowed, such as trade monopolies or government subordination. Don't forget to share your experience!
As an ancient Korean proverb goes, "When whales fight, they harm the shrimp
From its own interests, North Korea has always hoped to be alone in a corner to cultivate and enjoy its long history and civilization. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
During a rare and brief period in the 17th century without foreign occupation, a Korean king even banned the mining of gold and silver in order to reduce the interest of foreigners in entering Korea. But the attempt to become a 'hermit kingdom' came to nothing. What do you think about this?
In 1882, at another critical moment,In order to weaken the Japanese dominance, the ChineseEven convincingThe weak North Korean government negotiated and signed a rather vague "friendly" treaty with the United StatesAlthough the United States had no economic or other interests in North Korea at the time, American diplomats agreed to the treaty in order to establish a possible foothold in the country in the future. The implementation clause in the treaty stipulates: "If one party's government is subjected to unfair or oppressive treatment by other powers, the other party shall, from the date of becoming aware of it, mediate to achieve a peaceful resolution and demonstrate mutual friendship Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
There is no doubt that the wording of the treaty is extremely vague, to the extent that the powerful party can use it at will Let me know your thoughts in the comments!.
After the treaty was signed, the United States quickly put it aside due to practical considerations: the United States had no ambition or power to exert any influence in the Far East. Therefore, Let me know your thoughts in the comments!When Russia and Japan signed a formal agreement in 1896 to divide their spheres of influence in Korea, the United States remained silent Don't forget to share your experience!.
Japan and Russia almost divide the Korean Peninsula along the 38th parallel, with Russia occupying the northern half and Japan occupying the southern half. Both sides hold political and economic power in their respective regions. What do you think about this?Due to the occupation of the capital city of Seoul by the Japanese,Controlled itThe puppet royal family of North Korea——A nominal ruler whose main function is to suppress domestic opposition.North Korea, as a divided vassal state, cannot control its current situation nor has any say in its future.
However, as the occupying forces have learned from history, the dignity of nationalism cannot be easily erased with bayonets or military boots. North Koreans have a strong emotional attachment to their past, and they are fond of reminiscing about those distant times. This country takes pride in having a culture that has not been influenced by foreign influences. What do you think about this?
The strongest emotion of this kind is undoubtedly a peculiar social class known as the 'two classes'.
The 'Two Classes'They are all dressed as scholars, with tall hats and flowing long beards. They dedicate their entire lives to the most special discipline: remembering their own or other families' genealogies in Korea. What do you think about this?
Li JingshanHe is a very dedicated 'two shift' person who can sit on a cushion with his legs crossed for several hours; He closed his eyes slightly and sang, reciting over 24 volumes of family genealogies, including a glorious scene before the 17th generation, when a relative of his father briefly spoke to him Have you tried this before? Share your story!Goryeo throneThe matter of succession has some implications.
howeverLi Chengwan, son of Li Jingshan(Born on March 26, 1875) at a young ageRealizing the absurdity of the 'two shift' system.
What is the value of paying homage to ancestors when the current family lives in a dilapidated wooden house overlooking Seoul and relies on a few bushels of rice to survive every day? What right do "two classes" have to demand material support from other families? Is it because their descendants still have some connection with the monarchy after 20 or even 30 centuries? As Li Chengwan told biographer Robert Oliver, 'this ancestral worship habit' even spread to impoverished rice farmers. Don't forget to share your experience!
therefore,Li Chengwan made a decisionThis is undoubtedly extremely difficult for an Asian youth.
At the age of 19, he entered a high school in Seoul run by Methodist missionaries and gradually moved away from the Buddhist and Confucian beliefs passed down by his parents, cutting off the traditional hair bun on North Korean men's heads. He read American magazines such as McClure and Prospect, and after learning about Western democracy, he realized that he could no longer tolerate the medieval style Korean society and political system. Don't forget to share your experience!In just a few months, he achieved a sudden transformation from a traditional Orientalist to a quasi Westerner.
Li Chengwan's next step was to engage in political activities against the monarchy.He edited a student newspaper in a church high school and led protests demanding the expulsion of Japanese people and the reconstruction of a heavily reformed monarchy. He passionately delivered a speech at a rally, and newspapers in Seoul referred to him as a "radical and combative person". Let me know your thoughts in the comments!Puppet DynastyIn response to the suppression of political dissidents, Li Chengwan was thrown into prison. Friends smuggled firearms into the prison, and there was a firefight where a guard was injured in the leg. Li Chengwan and a companion escaped, but were soon caught and brought back. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
What followed was torture and suffering, whose cruelty was unparalleled even by the strict standards of Eastern torture.
Li Chengwan was unarmed and fell into the hands of a group of thugs comparable to a medieval dynasty.
According to Li Chengwan's biography of his authorOliverIn the narrative, his arms were tightly tied behind his back with ribbons, which were tightly inserted into his flesh.
He placed two sticks between his legs and tightly tied them together at his knees and ankles. Afterwards, two police officers twisted the two sticks and tied triangular bamboo strips between his fingers, then tightened them together, causing his flesh and bones to fall off Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Li Chengwan spread out his limbs on the floor and was beaten with a bamboo stick until his flesh and blood were blurred. At night, he was handcuffed and shackled. Memories and hopes have disappeared. This solitary and deprived imprisonment lasted for seven months, with the warden only releasing his shackles for five minutes every day. Afterwards, he was taken to stand trial with a fellow prisoner who also participated in the escape. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Just because Li Chengwan's handgun did not fire, his life was preserved. That companion was sentenced to death by beheading; Li Chengwan was sentenced to life imprisonment and 100 lashes with a bamboo cane. What do you think about this?
A prison guard spared Li Chengwan from being whipped due to his weak physical condition.
The reason why these tortures and hardships are described in such detail is because it helps to understand Li Chengwan's strong determination to fight for Korean independence in the years to come (including during the Korean War). Enduring torture is an experience that only those who have survived can understand. What do you think about this?
The suffering experienced by Li Chengwan left him with a permanent belief. No matter who wants to solve any problem related to North Korea, no matter what the conditions are, as long as North Korea's independence is not guaranteed, Rhee Syngman will not consider the issue of concessions. What do you think about this?
In short, Li Chengwan was imprisoned for another six years, although his living conditions were still unsatisfactory.
His American missionary friends often visited him and brought him books, which further strengthened his belief that adhering to the ideal of Jesus Christ is crucial for achieving political freedom. In his manifesto and political propaganda booklet, Let me know your thoughts in the comments!Li Chengwan lamented the selfishness of his own people, who did not help each otherBecause they do not understand the principle of 'I am for everyone, everyone is for me'. He believes that political freedom is not achieved through "laws and regulations", but through the transformation of the minds of ordinary people. Don't forget to share your experience!
The complete acceptance of Christian righteousness by Li Chengwan was very important for several reasons, although some were not important at the time. Li Chengwan had a new faith, believing himself to be a tool through which God's will would be implemented; He cannot control his own destiny, even though God's guidance is always in his hands. Half a century later, when he had disputes with American officials, they often angrily denounced him as like a "Christ savior" who believed he was always right and refused to listen to others' opinions. Their evaluation is basically correct, but there needs to be an important additional clarification: Li Chengwan's sense of mission does not come from him personally, but from his belief that this mission is bestowed by God. What do you think about this?
Whether people believe that a person can truly become an apostle of God is actually not important. Li Chengwan felt that he was such an apostle, and he would use this to influence his behavior throughout his life. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Li Chengwan couldn't feel this at the time: his later conversion had enormous political value. In the first half of the 20th century, American public opinion's view of Asia was excessively influenced by those missionaries who had served in China, Korea, Japan, **, India and other places. In the words of Ross Cohen in his classic book "The Outsourced Chinese Group": Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Missionaries from various churches in the United States introduced Western education, science, and medicine to China through schools and hospitals. The American Protestant Church held training classes to let members who supported the work of the church know about missionaries' activities, which brought information about China to millions of Americans. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the support of American public opinion for Chiang Kai shek (who was also a converted Christian) in China easily shifted to Li Chengwan, and their fates seemed intertwined at that time. The United States' support for Syngman Rhee is not for an 'Asian monarch', but for a 'Christian politician'. What do you think about this?
The main value of Li Chengwan's Westernization, which had a direct significance for him, was that it led to his release from prison in 1904. What do you think about this?
The scene at that time was full ofA comical and self contradictory story in North Korean politics.
That year, Japan and Russia seemed to be about to go to war, and North Korea once again feared that it would become a small shrimp that would suffer in a whale fight. Therefore, Don't forget to share your experience!The puppet government of North KoreaOne faction has decided to request the United States to implement the "Treaty of Friendship" they signed 20 years ago.
The most qualified candidate recognized throughout North Korea is Syngman Rhee - he is indeed a political prisoner, but he speaks English, understands the American system, and is also a Christian. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
In this way, Li Chengwan was released from the prison and had three months to rest and recover, serving asSpecial envoySent to the United States, but he received very limited support. The dominant faction in the North Korean government is willing to accept the economic benefits generated by Japan's control of North Korea, while the faction that facilitated Li Chengwan's mission is relatively weak. They hope that North Korea will be a more independent role. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
What both factions are unaware of is that the issue of US intervention in the Russo Japanese conflict has been resolved. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
President Theodore Roosevelt highly appreciated Japan's "strength and energy" and accepted the advice of his advisors that North Korea was "not suitable" for self governance. Don't forget to share your experience!
Roosevelt's primary goal in the East was to maintain American control over the Philippines, which had just been taken from the Spanish. Roosevelt believed that the United States had a "predetermined fate" to bring the Philippines into the modern world. What do you think about this?
In this way, Roosevelt made a deal with Japan:Roosevelt supported Japan's claim that it had "special interests" in Korea and "Manchuria"; In return, Japan will not have the idea of moving the Philippines. From the practical interests of imperialism, this deal is beneficial to the United States. Once Japan wants to seize the Philippines, the United States does not have military power to defend it. Don't forget to share your experience!
In Roosevelt's memoirs, he provided another explanation:
Indeed, the treaty has solemnly determined that North Korea should maintain independence, but North Korea itself is unable to implement the treaty. It is impossible to imagine any other country doing something completely powerless for the North Koreans without threatening their own interests. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Li Chengwan was 29 years old at the time and was completely unaware of all of this. He was about to face his first baptism in the reality of great power diplomacy. What do you think about this?The money given to him is only enough for him to travel to Kobe, Japan, where he must temporarily stay (as well as in Honolulu and San Francisco) in order to raise funds and continue his' mission '. What do you think about this?The North Korean pro Japanese diplomatic envoy in Washington refusedTo arrange any official introduction for him, Li Chengwan could only rely on his connections with the Methodist Church to obtain the elderly Let me know your thoughts in the comments!US Secretary of State John HayThe reception. John Hay made a careful and solemn statement: "Whenever the opportunity arises, I, whether representing myself or the United States government, will do my best to fulfill the obligations stipulated in the treaty What do you think about this?
At this moment,Japan and RussiaWe have already engaged in a brief yet intense naval battle. Both sides realized that continuing to fight would be futile, so What do you think about this?Accepted Roosevelt's arrangement, to his locationSummer villa in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York holds peace talks.
Through the arrangement of John Hay, in the summer of 1905, Li Chengwan finally visited Roosevelt in Oyster Bay and called on the United States to support the independence of Korea. Roosevelt said many polite, ambiguous, and irrelevant words to Syngman Rhee. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
As recalled by Li Chengwan many years later, Roosevelt stated that he would be "willing to do anything for your country," but any request must go through formal diplomatic channels. Don't forget to share your experience!
Roosevelt did not tell Li Chengwan two things.
At that time, Army Secretary William Howard Taft was on his way to Tokyo to approve the implementation of an agreement. Don't forget to share your experience!
This agreement will give the United States the right to freely control the Philippines as a reward for the Japanese control of Manchuria and Korea. Furthermore, Roosevelt was fully aware that the North Korean pro Japanese embassy in Washington would not do anything to interfere with this transaction. Don't forget to share your experience!
(A few months later, the official Russo Japanese treaty was signed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire under Roosevelt's leadership, granting Japan de facto control over Korea.) What do you think about this?
Roosevelt's ambiguous words made Rhee Syngman excitedly rush to Washington, but the North Korean diplomatic envoy rudely refused to see him and ordered the security guard to "throw him out" if he came again. Don't forget to share your experience!
So, Li Chengwan's mission came to a tragic end.
The inconsistency of the United States' words and the willingness of its own government to accept Japanese domination for economic interests made Li Chengwan a sacrificial lamb. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Years later, Li Chengwan said that these crazy weeks left permanent scars on his perception of American integrity. Whether in formal treaty language or what diplomats say, Let me know your thoughts in the comments!It can be believed that the United States will only defend what it considers to be its highest interests.Li Chengwan's church "friends" also do not want to change American politics. Accept reality, "they told him time and time again. Don't forget to share your experience!
The Japanese officially turned North Korea into a "protected country" and renamed it "Chosen", claiming that Japan would govern North Korea as a province. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
The United States and other countries withdrew their diplomatic missions from Seoul.
North Korea as a country no longer exists.
Li Chengwan, who was in extreme pain, could not return to his homeland. He knew that his anti Japanese political activities had made him a subject of surveillance. He founded the church high school that Li Chengwan attended in North Korea What do you think about this?Methodist Missionary SocietyWilling to help him maintain his student status in the United States.
In the next five years, Li Chengwan became a wandering scholar.
He studied theology at George Washington University in Washington D.C. He presented slides, gave lectures, and talked about missionary work and the Korean independence cause to earn some living expenses (a supporter of a missionary praised him as an "outstanding example of the Gospel of Christ serving the Korean people"). What do you think about this?
In 1907, he graduated from George Washington University and moved to Harvard. With the support of the Methodist Church, he obtained a master's degree in history and political science from Harvard. What do you think about this?
Subsequently, he received support and was able to study at Princeton University for two years. He lives in a seminary and is pursuing a PhD in political science. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
He later referred to this period of life as the "most peaceful" time of his life, mainly because of his relationship with the President of Princeton University What do you think about this?woodrow wilson The friendship between his wife and three daughters.
Li Chengwan was dressed in a black cashmere suit, looking serious and serious. When other Princeton students were singing, he stood expressionless by the piano in Wilson's living room, indifferent to the teasing and laughter of Wilson's girls. Wilson doted on the introverted Lee Seung man (who was 10 to 15 years older than his classmates) and often referred to him as the "future savior of Korean independence". Have you tried this before? Share your story!
In 1910, this idyllic life came to an end.
The International YMCA gave Li Chengwan a job as a teacher and evangelist at the YMCA in Seoul. Li Chengwan's church friends hinted that it was time for him to repay their investment. They funded his education to become a missionary, and now they expect his performance. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Li Chengwan only stayed in North Korea for 17 months. Due to his political activity record, the Japanese have always been extremely concerned about him. Seeing his compatriots living in slavery, Li Chengwan was heartbroken but at a loss. He withdrew from the YMCA and became the principal of a primary school. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
In 1912, the Japanese began arresting Christian leaders, and Li Chengwan fled Korea, beginning his 33 year exile until the end of World War II. Don't forget to share your experience!
He settled in Hawaii, where there were a considerable number of North Koreans, and devoted himself to political activities in exile (he became the principal of a church school to make ends meet). Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
The core controversy among thousands of North Korean exiles scattered across Hawaii, the West Coast of the United States, as well as China and Japan, is whether they should use force or Western diplomatic efforts to drive away the Japanese. Although he had previously expressed disappointment with the Theodore Roosevelt administration, Syngman Rhee still believed in the public statements of Western diplomats. Therefore, when his old Princeton friend Woodrow Wilson (now the President of the United States) announced that the Paris Peace Conference had ended the First World War and would focus on the issue of "the right of peoples to self-determination", Rhee was again elated. Don't forget to share your experience!
Excited North Korean nationalists held a meeting in Seoul and organized a "provisional government" to elect President Rhee Syngman, who did not attend the meeting. Li Chengwan held this title and applied for a passport from the US State Department to attend the Paris Peace Conference. What do you think about this?
What caused him pain was that President Wilson ordered Li Chengwan to be excluded from the door. For peace in the East, Wilson needs Japan's cooperation, and Li Chengwan's attendance will bring "interference". What do you think about this?
(Another Asian, Ho Chi Minh, managed to enter the venue, but no one took him seriously. During the Vietnam War, he gained worldwide fame.) What do you think about this?
Desperate Li Chengwan attempted to organize a mass rally and mobilize American public opinion to support his cause.The Methodist Church members who had appreciated his slides on the life of North Korean missionaries ten years ago are now distancing themselves from Syngman Rhee, who can only speak to a meager number of North Koreans in the United States. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Li Chengwan went to Shanghai to meet with the members of his interim government's "cabinet", but what he saw more was infighting rather than grand plans. Li Chengwan's leadership quickly declined. Don't forget to share your experience!
For the past 20 years, he has advocated for independence through a progressive approach, but has achieved nothing. His' American friends' had the opportunity to help North Korea twice, but both times the United States turned into a whale helping to ravage this small shrimp in North Korea. What do you think about this?
For understandable reasons, Li Chengwan's current reputation is that he is good at arguing and stubborn. He argued endlessly with other exiled politicians and even his Methodist friends. What do you think about this?
In early 1922, at the age of 47, Li Chengwan finally returned to Hawaii, where he preached and taught. His reputation and prestige come more from the past than from today, let alone the future. What do you think about this?
Korean Communists Enter
Due to the failure of Li Chengwan's "gradual" opposition to the Japanese occupation movement, many Koreans hoped to gain stronger opposition from elsewhere. Don't forget to share your experience!
In the early 1920s, this power had two sources:One was the Chinese Communist movement, which was in the early stages of the struggle against the Kuomintang regime and was still in its infancy; The other is the Soviet Union, which was eager to encourage any force to manipulate the Japanese. Communists in North Korea suffered from the same internal struggles as the "peaceful reform" group led by Syngman Rhee. Japanese oppression caused them to flee to Shanghai, Japan, the Soviet Union, and "Manchuria," and their ranks continued to weaken due to political infighting. What do you think about this?
However, Communists have advantages over Li Chengwan in several aspects. Most of them fearlessly fought against Japan in Korea; They promised not only to drive away the Japanese, but also to create a "better" (i.e. communist) society. Don't forget to share your experience!South Korean historian Nan Junyu, who opposes communism, admits“”
In 1912, in Pyongan namdo, northwest Korea, a guerrilla fighter named Kim Sung jok was born (who later became the Prime Minister of North Korea during the Korean War), or rather, as claimed by modern North Korean propaganda media. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
For a long time, due to the lack of other sources of information, the credibility of the data that the US intelligence community must rely on when analyzing Kim and other North Korean leaders is similar to that of Hollywood fan magazines in the 1930s. Thank you to the propagandists, they did give Jin a background that matched that of a Communist giant. His father was poor but bold, teaching young people history and culture during the day and training them to fight against the Japanese at night. His father was arrested, imprisoned, and tortured, and was forced to flee to "Manchuria", using his rudimentary medical knowledge to open a clinic for the poor. But prison life destroyed his father's body, who died at the age of 32. Don't forget to share your experience!
It is said that Xiao Jin learned to hate Japanese people very early on. When his mother warned him to "grow up quickly and avenge his father," tears filled his eyes. Part of the legendary story is that the father gave his son two pistols on his deathbed. You can use it, "he urged. I will, "my son replied. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Jin's first political activity is said to have taken place in 1928At that time, he was 16 years old. He may beManchuriaCommercial CityJilinLed violent demonstrations,Oppose the extension of North Korea's main railway to Manchuria.He was imprisoned for a short period of time and then retreated to the countryside, "inciting farmers, students, and small business owners to organize against the Japanese. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Jin's organizational work has clearly yielded resultsWhenWhen Japan invaded Manchuria from 1931 to 1932,The guerrilla team he led was one of the many rising teams in the anti Japanese movement. The CPC has implemented comprehensive control over guerrilla organizations and named these groups Don't forget to share your experience!Northeast Counter-Japanese United Army(This name sounds more intimidating than it actually is) and provides them with weapons and political leaders.The person who was born as Kim Sung joo 20 years ago now accepts the name 'Kim Il sung'The name comes from a legendary guerrilla leader who had fought against the Japanese at the turn of the century.
The act of changing one's name holds immense psychological significance. It endowed Kim with the mysterious qualities of a national hero, so much so that when he appeared in his homeland after World War II, many people were surprised to see such a young man. They were actually wondering if the welcoming Kim Il sung was his true self. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Later, the official history of North Korea even praised 21-year-old Kim Il sung as the leader who "consolidated the unity of his comrades" who fought in northern Manchuria between 1934 and 1935. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
(South Korean historian Nan Junyu considers this statement suspicious because there was clearly no overall leader in the region at that time.) Don't forget to share your experience!
Putting aside the truth or falsehood of this statement, the Communist Party did indeed establish a powerful guerrilla force in "Manchuria". They used weapons taken from the Japanese and occasionally attacked Japanese military bases with over 1000 troops. The specific activities and whereabouts of Kim cannot be recorded, and the official biography of North Korea attributes a series of unreasonable achievements to him. Have you tried this before? Share your story!Regardless of the direct effect of gold, the official figures of the Japanese army prove the effectiveness of guerrilla forces. From the mid-1930s to the end of the war, the Communist guerrilla forces in Manchuria killed over 60000 Japanese soldiers, equivalent to six divisions. Don't forget to share your experience!
There is evidence to suggest that,Jin's guerrilla achievements made the Soviets believe that,This person was very useful after the war. The Soviets implemented several different routes regarding Korea during the war.
On the one hand, they supported North Korea's independence movement as a means of tormenting the Japanese. At the same time, they also demonstrated cautious considerations of interests. The Soviets hoped that once the Japanese left, they could control 'Manchuria', but they were also concerned that the Koreans living there would help return this' country 'to China, or even declare it a part of North Korea itself. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
The people living on the border between North Korea and Manchuria are not very concerned about the official border, and there are many people who come and go in mixed communities there Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Therefore, for "security reasons," the Soviet Union cleanly relocated nearly 150000 Korean men, women, and children living in coastal provinces bordering "Manchuria" to the interior of the Soviet Union in the late 1930s. Young people were conscripted into the military, clearly to use them to attack the Japanese once the Soviet Union and Japan went to war. Don't forget to share your experience!
In Jin's official biography, this period of population shift coincided with the announcement by Jin's guerrilla forces that they would be forced to embark on a "Long March" to the north of "Manchuria" to avoid increasing Japanese military pressure. This should have been the time when Jin became a Red Army officer and directly accepted Soviet control. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Regardless of the truth, at the end of 1945, Kim appeared in Korea as the leader of the communist regime chosen by the Soviet Union, wearing the military uniform of a Soviet Red Army Major. Western experts who study the rare details of Jin's career believe that if Jin had not stayed under their wing for a considerable period of time, it would have been impossible for the Soviets to entrust him with such a heavy responsibility. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Regardless of Kim Il sung's background and the truth about his wartime career, he is clearly someone that the Soviet Union can trust and control. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!