O was born in Bukcheong, South Gyeongsang Province, to a poor peasant family. In 1933, joined anti-Japanese forces in Manchuria and began a long association with Kim Il Sung. They joined the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army in 1938, returning to Korea in 1945 as part of the 88th Separate Rifle Brigade to found North Korea. O became the leader of the Pyongyang Police Station and Kim's bodyguard. In February 1948, he transferred to the new KPA.[citation needed]
O Jin-u is held responsible for the Korean axe murder incident and Rangoon bombing as head of the KPA. He helped Kim Il Sung maintain control of the military. O initially supported Kim Pyong-il succession Kim Il Sung; Kim Jong Il did not have military experience and did not look like an orthodox communist to O. O's switch to support Kim Jong Il was likely the decisive factor in securing the latter's succession. According to top officials, O "proposed" as Kim Il Sung heir at a Central Committee plenum in 1974. and helped him take control of the military;[1] O championed Kim Jong Il's cause, particularly within the military.[2]
After Kim Jong Il was made Chairman of the National Defence Commission in 1993, O replaced him as its first vice-chairman. In 1990, after the collapse of the socialist bloc, he led the emergency system. He also was the second-ranking member of the Kim Il-sung funeral committee in 1994, immediately beneath Kim Jong Il. He was also the last surviving WPK Presidium member along with the new leader.
According to the testimony of film director Shin Sang-ok, who was abducted from North Korea, "O Jin-u once said that if he was drunk, he would wipe out Busan in a week if the general commanded him. Lunch in Daejeon, dinner in Busan... "
In January 2017, it was reported that his three sons, Kim Jong-Su, O Il-jong and O Il-su had been "purged" by Kim Jong Un.[3] No official reason was given for why they were purged; however, it is believed that Kim Jong Un viewed their relation to O as a possible threat to his rule of the DPRK.[3] Considering how revered O was in the DPRK (still having the title of "Revolutionary Martyr"), the incident shocked observers, as respected officials' relatives tended to be well taken care of.[3] However, in contradiction to this report, in 2021, O Il-jong was elected as a member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Illness and death
O Jin-u, who had been victorious in the North Korean regime, suffered a worsening case of lung cancer, and his frequency of public appearances decreased significantly during this time. He went to France to receive treatment under Kim Jong Il's special consideration, but he did not show any signs of recovery and finally died in February 1995 while fighting the disease in Pyongyang,
a year after Kim Il Sung.[4] Since O was a major supporter for Kim Jong Il's succession, which had not been fully realized at the time of his death, the event was seen as a setback for Kim.[2] After O's death, Kim Jong Il left the minister's position vacant for more than seven months before naming a new minister, Choi Kwang. O Jin-u is deeply imprinted with a warlike appearance, and the first person that comes to mind when many people think of the North Korean People's Army is O Jin-u.
A funeral committee of 240 members was appointed for O.[5] It included:[6]
Commemorative Order "Foundation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea"
Commemorative Order "Anniversary of the Foundation of the People's Army"
Order of Military Service Honour First Class
Commemorative Order "30th Anniversary of the Agricultural Presentation"
Order of the National Flag Second Class, three times
Order of Freedom and Independence Second Class, twice
Order of the National Flag Third Class, twice
Commemorative Order "Capital Construction"
Commemorative Order "60th Anniversary of the People's Army"
Commemorative Order "40th Anniversary of Fatherland Liberation War Victory"
Commemorative Medal "Fatherland Liberation"
Commemorative Medal "The Foundation of the People's Republic of Korea", twice
Medal For Military Merit
Medal of Military Service Honour
Works
Kim Il; Choe Hyon; Pak Sung-chul; O Jin-u; etal. (1982). Twenty-year-long Anti-Japanese Revolution Under the Red Sunrays: September 1931 – February 1936. Vol.2. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. OCLC914716941.
O Jin-u (1970). "Speech by Chief of General Staff Oh Jin Woo [Speeches at the Pyongyang mass rally 'in support of the Chinese people's struggle against U.S. imperialism and for the liberation of Taiwan' (June 27, 1970)]". People of Asia: Unite and Drive the U.S. Agressors Out of Asia!. Peking: Foreign Languages Press. pp.95–114. OCLC204899.
— (1974). "Once All the People Are Armed, They Can Drive Back Any Enemy". Establishing the People's Revolutionary Government: A Genuine People's Power. Pyongyang: Foreign Languages Publishing House. OCLC441622192.
Martin, Bradly K. (2004). Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: A History of North Korea and the Kim Dynasty. New York: Thomas Dunne. pp.61–62. ISBN0-312-32221-6.
External links
"O Jin U". Private Institute for Korean Studies in Japan. Archived from the original on December 18, 2005. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
