Paik Sun-yup (; November 23, 1920 – July 10, 2020) was a Republic of Korea Army four-star general who became the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1959 to 1960. Paik is best known for his service during the Korean War, becoming 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.
Early life and education
Paik was born in Tokhung in Kangso County, South Pyeongan Province (called Heian'nan-dō - the Japanese transliteration of the Sino-Korean name Pyeongan-namdo, i.e. south Pyeongan province - during Japanese occupation), Korea, Empire of Japan on November 23, 1920. He was the second of three siblings, with an older sister and younger brother, being raised by a widowed mother. In 1925 the Paik family moved to Pyongyang (called Heijō during Japanese occupation), where they lived under deplorable conditions in a single, rented room. Unable to feed her family, Paik's mother attempted to commit family-suicide with her children by jumping from the Taedong River Bridge (at the time the Daidō River Bridge) but was dissuaded from doing so by her eldest daughter.
After the end of World War II, he returned to Pyongyang and started working as an assistant to Kim Ku (a leader of the Korean independence movement against the Empire of Japan). In December 1945, he fled south due to the rising communist's presence. After safely reaching South Korea, he enlisted in the Constabulary, the predecessor of the ROK Army, as a first lieutenant. In this role, he was tasked with suppressing communist guerrillas (the Yeosu–Suncheon rebellion). While undertaking this responsibility, he helped Park Chung Hee, who was at the time being tried as a communist, by persuading President Syngman Rhee to commute his sentence and have him released. Paik eventually had him reinstated into the army during the Korean War.
By August, Paik was told to report back to the ROK I Corps where he oversaw the heavy fighting around the 38th parallel at the Punchbowl,
On January 30, 2019, a group in consisting of retired South Korean generals of which Paik served as an advisor, released a statement criticizing the administration of South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the Comprehensive Military Agreement which was signed with North Korea at the September 2018 inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang.
He died on July 10, 2020, at the age of 99, four months short of his 100th birthday and was buried in Daejeon National Cemetery. Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs claimed the reason Paik was buried in Daejeon National Cemetery was because the designated area for generals in Seoul National Cemetery was full.
Awards and decorations
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan=2 |Korean Decorations
|-
|
|Gold Star ‘Taegeuk’ Medal of Merit x4
|-
|
|Eulji Military Medal x4
|-
|
|Chungmu Service Medal x2
|-
|
|Hwarang order of merit
|-
|
|Military Medal of Honor (South Korea)
|-
|
|Korean War Service Medal
|-
|
|Gold Tower Order of Industrial Service
|-
|
|Tin Tower Order of Industrial Service
|-
|
| Grand GwangHwa Medal x2
|- style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan=2 |U.S. Decorations
|-
|
|Silver Star Service Medal
|-
|
|Legion of Merit (Degree of Chief Commander)
|-
|
|Legion of Merit (Degree of Commander)
|-
|
|Legion of Merit (Degree of Officer)
|-
|
|Legion of Merit (Degree of Legionnaire)
|-
|
|Bronze Star Service Medal
|-
|
|Air Service Medal
|-
|
|Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service
|-
|
|Meritorious Public Service Medal
|- style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"
| colspan=2 |Other foreign Decorations
|-
|
|Order of Merit (Canada)
|-
|
|Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur (France)
|-
|
|Ordre national du Mérite (France)
|-
|
|Croix de guerre des théâtres d'opérations extérieures (France)
|-
|
|Order of Leopold (Belgium)
|-
|
|Order of the Cloud and Banner (Republic of China)
|-
|
|Order of Brilliant Star (Republic of China)
|-
|
|Philippine Legion of Honor (The Philippines)
|-
|
|Order of the White Elephant (Thailand)
|-
|
|Cross for Law and Liberty (Netherlands)
|-
|
|Order of the Star of Ethiopia (Ethiopia)
|-
|
|National Order of Upper Volta (Burkina Faso)
|-
|
|Order of the Phoenix (Greece)
|-
|
|Order of George I (Greece)
|-
|
|Distinguished Service Medal of the Republic of Cuba
|-
|
|Order of Merit (Niger)
|-
|
|Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan)
|-
|
|United Nations Service Medal for Korea (UN)
|}
Historical photos
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
File:Maj. Gen. Paik Sun Yup.jpg |Paik Sun Yup in Daegu, South Korea, 1950.
Korea delegation.jpg|Paik in an armistice delegation in 1951.
1951 Chung Baik Eisenhower.jpg|Korean War<br />Dwight D. Eisenhower, Kim Baik-Il, Baik Seon-yup, Chung Il-kwon.
ALSeeEdit32 Paik Sun Yup.jpg|Paik Sun-yup in May 2002.
General Paik Sun Yup, ROKA (July 27, 2011).jpg|Paik in July 2011.
</gallery>
See also
- Military of South Korea