Im Heung-sun

Im Heung-sun (任興淳, 1895 – 14 December 1971) was a politician of South Korea. He served as a member of the 2nd and 3rd National Assembly and as Mayor of Seoul. Im was born in Hanseong, Korean Empire. He was one of the principal perpetrators of the 9.28 Incident (the attempted assassination of Vice President Chang Myon). While serving as Mayor of Seoul, he was instigated by Lee Gi-bung of the Liberal Party to have Choi Hun and four others shoot Vice President Chang Myon of the Democratic Party, and he arranged the attack to appear as the work of insiders within the Democratic Party.

Career

He graduated from Boseong Higher Common School and, after liberation, worked as a secretary of the Korea Financial Cooperative Federation. In 1950, he was elected as a member of the 2nd National Assembly. During the Busan Political Crisis on 26 May 1952, he was arrested on charges related to the International Communist Party. In 1953, he became chairman of the National Defense Committee of the House of Representatives, and in 1954 he was re-elected as a member of the 3rd House of Representatives. In 1956, he joined the Liberal Party, serving as head of its General Affairs Department, secretary-general of its Central Executive Committee, and chairman of its Central Standing Committee. In 1958, he served as president of the Korea Student Football Federation, and in 1959 he became Mayor of Seoul. During his tenure, he promoted the covering of the Cheonggye Stream with culverts and the construction of a ring road linking Yongsan-gu, Seongdong-gu, Dongdaemun-gu, Seongbuk-gu, and Uijeongbu. In preparation for the 1960 Asian football tournament, he established a football pitch at Hyochang Park Stadium. He also built new buildings for four public health centers and added public toilets, communal wells, and public baths.¹ He also served as chairman of the Seongdong-gu Dong Association Federation. After the of 1960, he left politics.