Ho Jong-suk

North Korean politician (1908–1991)

허정숙

Ho in 1945

Chief Justice of the
People's Supreme Court2nd termIn office
28 October 1959 – 24 June 1960Preceded byKim Ha-unSucceeded byKim Ik-sonMinister of Justice2nd termIn office
18 September 1957 – 31 August 1959PremierKim Il SungSucceeded byPost abolished1st termIn office
3 August 1957 – 18 September 1957PremierKim Il SungPreceded byHong Ki-juMinister of Culture and Propaganda1st termIn office
9 September 1948 – 3 August 1957PremierKim Il SungPreceded byPost establishedSucceeded byHan Sol-ya as Minister of Education and Culture Personal detailsBorn

Ho Jong-ja

(1908-07-16)16 July 1908
Seoul, Korean EmpireDied5 June 1991(1991-06-05) (aged 82)
Pyongyang, North KoreaPolitical partyWorkers' Party of KoreaParent

Ho Hon (father)

OccupationPolitician, activistKorean nameChosŏn'gŭl

허정숙

Hancha

許貞淑

Revised RomanizationHeo JeongsukMcCune–ReischauerHŏ ChŏngsukBirth nameChosŏn'gŭl

허정자

Hancha

許貞子

Revised RomanizationHeo JeongjaMcCune–ReischauerHŏ Chŏngja

Ho Jong-suk (Korean: 허정숙; RR: Heo Jeong-suk; MR: Hŏ Chŏng-suk; 16 July 1908 – 5 June 1991) was a prominent female figure in the Communist Party of Korea and sexual liberation of Korea under Japanese rule.^[1] From 1948, she served multiple offices in North Korea, including the Minister of Health and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Korea.

Biography

She was born Hŏ Jŏng-ja (허정자),^[2] the daughter of Ho Hon. In her early years, Ho went to Japan to study in Kwansei School in Tokyo. She later left and in her next years Ho went to the Shanghai International Settlement of Republic of China where she was given an entrance to Shanghai Foreign High School where she graduated.^[3] Later she returned to her country. In 1921, she participated in the women Movement and joined Korean Communist Party.

At that time, Japanese Government-General of Korea decided to make the Communist Party illegal. She avoided persecution for participation in the Communist Party. Later in 1924, she was introduced to International Women's Day, in March 1925, she went to a Women's Day event in Seoul. In 1927 she was a founding member of Geunwoohoi [ko] and also participated to Singanhoe (신간회).^[4]

Ho also was in favor of "Unrelated Love and Sex". Her opinion was denounced in Korean society because at that time, the vestiges of fundamentalist Confucianism remained in the Koreas.

In 1936, she went to China where she participated in the Korean National Revolutionary Party (조선민족혁명당).^[3] In 1938, she went to Hebei, participated in Chosen Independence alliance [ko], an Anti-Japanese Korean resistance Group.^[3] In 1945, she went to Seoul but she left for North Korea to avoid right-wing terrorism. In 1948 she participated in the North Korean government. She served as Minister of Culture in 1948–1957, and Minister of Justice in 1957.^[5]

Ho served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Korea between 28 October 1959 and 1960.^[6]^[7]

Bibliography

In Grace Lover (은혜로운 사랑 속에서)
Democraticism founder days (민주건국의 나날에)
Historical rememories of great loves (위대한 사랑의 력사를 되새기며)

References

^ Barraclough, Ruth (2015) Red Love in Korea: Rethinking Communism, Feminism, Sexuality. In: Barraclough R., Bowen-Struyk H., Rabinowitz P. (eds) Red Love Across the Pacific. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. ISBN 978-1-349-57079-9
^ Ho Jong-suk (in Korean)
^ ^a ^b ^c Ho Jong-suk (in Korean)
^ Ho Jong-suk
^ "Korea North Ministers".
^ Scalapino, Robert A.; Lee Chong-Sik (1972). Communism in Korea: The society. Vol. 2. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 1366. ISBN 978-0-520-02274-4.
^ Service, United States. Foreign Broadcast Information (1960). Daily Report: Foreign Radio Broadcasts.