♦︎ The assassination of a political figure completely captures the person the victim was and the era. The same goes for the assassination of former Special Forces Commander Kim Chang-ryong. Kim Chang-ryong was a figure who wielded absolute power to the point of being called the “right-hand man of the president” in the 1950s. It is said that President Syngman Rhee “reluctantly paid his respects” ten days after the assassination of Baekbeom Kim Gu, but when Kim Chang-ryong was assassinated, he ran “in his pajamas” and said, “He died in my place,” showing his favoritism. In Modern History of People, we examine a cross-section of the 1950s through the assassination of former Special Forces Commander Kim Chang-ryong and find the historical significance of the figure of Kim Chang-ryong. ◼︎ A Mysterious Case During the Investigation Process The assassin who was caught a month later was surprisingly Kim Chang-ryong’s former subordinate, Colonel Heo Tae-young. However, it was revealed that there were several attempts by the military leadership in the early stages of the investigation to protect the real assassin and divert the investigation in the wrong direction. At first, Commander-in-Chief Won Yong-deok was accused of being a suspect, and later it was reported to the president that he was a communist. There were also rumors that the group of people protecting him was connected to Army Chief of Staff and Lee Ki-poong, the second-highest official in the regime. Who tried to protect the assassin and why? Why was he assassinated? Why did a subordinate shoot his superior? The military prosecution tried to attribute the motive for the murder to personal revenge. However, the defendant, Colonel Heo Tae-young, testified that he had no choice but to kill him in the name of “democratizing the military.” Kim Chang-ryong was said to have disrupted the military chain of command by openly abusing his authority based on the absolute trust of President Rhee Syng-man. However, it is also true that corruption was rampant in the military at the time, and Kim Chang-ryong was conducting an in-depth investigation as the head of the special forces. ◼︎ The originator of communist operations, Kim Chang-ryong, is known to have made numerous achievements in the field of anti-communism and solved several presidential assassination and coup plots. However, many of these cases were revealed after his death to have been fabricated or exaggerated. At the assassination trial, defendant Heo Tae-young testified in detail about the cases fabricated by his special forces superior, Deputy Commander Kim Chang-ryong. ◼︎ 'Pro-Japanese complex' becomes 'anti-communist neurosis'? According to Kim Chang-ryong's own records, he was a Kwantung Army military police lieutenant general in Manchuria during his youth and displayed outstanding ability in exposing Chinese anti-Japanese communist organizations. However, after liberation, he was sentenced to death twice as a war criminal in North Korea. Fortunately, he succeeded in escaping both times and defected to South Korea. To Kim Chang-ryong who defected to South Korea, South Korea was like a savior. At the time, in South Korea, if you were anti-communist, even a pro-Japanese history was tolerated. ◼︎ A fate that cannot rest even after death Kim Chang-ryong was the leader (major general) of the Special Forces (predecessor of the Military Intelligence Command) and a key figure in the purge of the military. He was the so-called 'number one figure in the anti-communist front' who solved major cases of communism and spies around 1950 and boasted numerous medals. Also, since he was a martyr who was assassinated while apparently faithfully carrying out his duty, he was legally buried in the National Cemetery. People of Modern History Episode 61 - Who Shot the Heart of Power? Special Forces Leader Kim Chang-ryong (broadcast on December 3, 2004) http://history.kbs.co.kr/