The Most Famous
MILITARY PERSONNELS from North Korea
This page contains a list of the greatest North Korean Military Personnels. The pantheon dataset contains 2,058 Military Personnels, 2 of which were born in North Korea. This makes North Korea the birth place of the 65th most number of Military Personnels behind Venezuela, and Luxembourg.
Top 3
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary North Korean Military Personnels of all time. This list of famous North Korean Military Personnels is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Paik Sun-yup (1920 - 2020)
With an HPI of 56.74, Paik Sun-yup is the most famous North Korean Military Personnel. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages on wikipedia.
Paik Sun-yup (Korean: 백선엽; Hanja: 白善燁; RR: Baek Seon-yeop; November 23, 1920 – July 10, 2020) was a South Korean military officer. Paik is best known for his service during the Korean War, for being the first four-star general in the history of the South Korean military, and for his service as a diplomat and statesman for South Korea.
2. Yang Kyoungjong (1920 - 1992)
With an HPI of 54.81, Yang Kyoungjong is the 2nd most famous North Korean Military Personnel. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.
Yang Kyoungjong (Korean: 양경종) is purported to have been a Korean man who, according to some historians, served in the Imperial Japanese Army, the Soviet Red Army, and finally the German Wehrmacht during World War II. While some men of apparent East Asian ethnicity served in the Wehrmacht and were captured by Allied forces, this individual's existence and supposed personal history are not substantiated by the historical record.
3. Huijong of Goryeo (1181 - 1237)
With an HPI of 54.05, Huijong of Goryeo is the 3rd most famous North Korean Military Personnel. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Huijong (21 June 1181 – 31 August 1237), personal name Wang Yŏng, was the 21st king of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea. It is said of King Huijong that if he were to have grown old he would have made a great king. When his father ascended to the throne and Huijong became Crown Prince, he rebelled against Ch'oe Ch'ung-hŏn, the military leader of that time, and his younger brother Ch'oe Ch'ung-su. Huijong grew truly hostile towards them after Ch'ung-su forced the Crown Princess to abdicate so that he could replace her with his daughter. During the rebellion, Huijong masterminded a plan to make Ch'ung-hŏn kill Ch'ung-su, but Ch'ung-hŏn found out about it. Huijong was forced to beg for forgiveness and humble himself before one of his own subjects, which only made him hungrier for revenge. When King Sinjong fell ill in 1204, he stepped down from the throne to let his son Huijong be king. Huijong, knowing that he had to lull Ch'oe Ch'ung-hŏn into a false sense of security in order to be able to kill him, promoted him to Prime Minister of the State. This title was the one most often given out during the time of military rule to people such as Chŏng Chung-bu, Yi Ŭi-min, and even Ch'ung-hŏn's father posthumously. Huijong also named Ch'ung-hŏn the Royal Protector, the greatest honor of the time, which was usually only given to relatives of the King. With these two titles, Ch'oe Ch'ung-hŏn had political power nearly equal to that of the King himself. He used it to obliterate three rebellions, one led by his slave, another by Silla partisans, and one by his nephew Pak Chin-jae (박진재; 朴晋材). As Ch'ung-hŏn became secure in his new position, however, Huijong began to make preparations. Claiming illness, he tricked Ch'oe Ch'ung-hŏn into coming alone into the palace without his usual host of guards. Once he arrived, Huijong attempted a coup d'état against him. Unfortunately, this failed and Ch'oe Ch'ung-hŏn barely escaped with his life. Enraged, he exiled King Huijong to Yeongjongdo. Ch'ung-hŏn had realized by this time that he held the 'power of the heavens' in his hand, and could crown and exile whomever he wished whenever he wished. King Gangjong was crowned in Huijong's place. Huijong was later allowed to go to Ganghwa Island by Ch'oe, who exercised moderation and leniency to the dethroned Hujiong, though Huijong was later exiled back to Yeongjongdo by Ch'oe's son Ch'oe U after he caught wind of Huijong's attempts to plot a restoration.
People
Pantheon has 3 people classified as North Korean military personnels born between 1181 and 1920. Of these 3, none of them are still alive today. The most famous deceased North Korean military personnels include Paik Sun-yup, Yang Kyoungjong, and Huijong of Goryeo. As of April 2024, 1 new North Korean military personnels have been added to Pantheon including Huijong of Goryeo.
Deceased North Korean Military Personnels
Go to all Rankings
Paik Sun-yup
1920 - 2020
HPI: 56.74
Yang Kyoungjong
1920 - 1992
HPI: 54.81
Huijong of Goryeo
1181 - 1237
HPI: 54.05
