Origins & Early Life

Chung Il-kwon (Korean: 정일권; November 21, 1917 – January 17, 1994) was a South Korean politician, diplomat, and soldier. A general in the Republic of Korea Army, he served as foreign minister 1963 to 1964, and prime minister from 1964 to 1970. He was an ally of President Park Chung Hee. His art name was Chungsa (청사).

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He was also known by the Japanese pronunciation of his name: Tei Ikken. Chung was born in Nikolsk-Ussuriysky in Primorskaya Oblast, Russia, where his father worked as an interpreter for the Imperial Russian Army. After the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, his father moved the family to his hometown Kyongwon County, Kankyōhoku Province, Korea, Empire of Japan (now North Hamgyong Province, North Korea). However, in 1930, the family relocated to what is now Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in Manchuria, where Chung grew up in extreme poverty. While living under Japanese occupation, he was given the Japanese name Ikken Nakashima.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Due to his excellent grades in school, Chung won a place at the Manchukuo Imperial Army academy in Mukden, from which he graduated in September 1937. Again, his performance was regarded as excellent, and he...

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