Heo Dong-chan

Heo Dong-chan (許東粲, 1932 ~ ) is a Korean residing in Japan, born in Osaka (大阪), Japan, who is a researcher of Kim Il Sung. He initially worked in Chongryon, but after visiting North Korea in 1976 and witnessing the reality there, he took a critical stance toward North Korea and was expelled from Chongryon. He subsequently conducted many critical studies of Kim Il Sung and has published numerous works on the subject. He also used the pen name Im Taek-sam (林擇三, 林 択三).¹

Career

Heo Dong-chan's main career is as follows.²³

• 1932: Born in Osaka (大阪), Japan.
• The year after the Second World War broke out, evacuated to Okayama (岡山県), where he graduated from high school.
• After liberation on August 15, 1945, joined Chongryon.
• Majored in Chinese literature at the University of Tokyo.
• From 1955, was a member of Chongryon.
• In 1962, joined Chongryon-affiliated Korea University (Chosun University) and taught there for 20 years until 1982.
• In autumn 1976, as a literature department deputy director of Chongryon's Korea University, was a member of the congratulatory delegation for the 30th anniversary of the founding of Kim Il Sung University, touring North Korea for two and a half months. In November, he also met Kim Il Sung. Through this visit, he learned that North Korean land was not a paradise on earth but a living hell, and fell into despair.
• In 1978, was demoted to lecturer.
• In 1982, an impromptu poem titled "If one believes in Juche ideology, the country will perish" was discovered, and he was expelled from Chongryon.
• Afterwards, chose North Korea's Kim Il Sung as his lifelong field of research, resolved to devote his life to correcting the fabricated history of Kim Il Sung, and dedicated himself exclusively to research on Kim Il Sung.
• From April 1992, served as director of the Institute of Diplomacy and National Defense, a incorporated foundation.

Major Works

• Heo Dong-chan (許東粲), 『Kim Il Sung Biography (金日成 評傳) 2-1』 Unification Review Vol. 3 (Sookmyung Women's University Institute for Unification Studies, 1986), pp. 7–34