Forgotten Political Elites of North Korea

Fyodor Tertitskiy is Leading Researcher at the Institute for Korean Studies at Kookmin University, South Korea. He studies North Korean military, social and political history and is the author of The North Korean Army (2022) and Soviet-North Korean Relations During the Cold War (2023).

• 1. Introduction 2. Lost and forgotten: Failed candidates for the North Korean throne 3. The Brigade faction: Fates of those who served with Kim Il-sung in the Soviet Army 4. Yu Sŏng-ch'ŏl: Kim Il-sung’s former comrade-in-arms and his testimony 5. Mikhail Kan: Stepping away from power 6. Innokentiy Kim: How an officer of Stalin’s secret police stood for North Koreans 7. Pak Chŏng-ae: The woman with an iron heart 8. Mun Il: North Korea’s Moriarty 9. Chang Hak-pong: chronicler of the early days of North Korea 10. Pang Hak-se: The founding father of the North Korean secret police 11. Aleksei Hegay and his mysterious death 12. Vice-Minister Kang Sang-ho: the story of his service in the North Korean police and of his miraculous escape from the DPRK 13. Nam Il: The general who signed the Korean War armistice 14. Pak Ch'ang-ok: Kim Il-sung’s (equally) evil twin 15. Lee Sang-jo: An ambassador who challenged the Leader 16. Pak Ŭi-wan: Vice-Premier who had a heart 17. Conclusion