김원봉의 1945년 광복 이후 정치 행적과 성격

Abstract

What is known about Kim Won-bong’s political activities post-liberation, especially in Pyongyang after April 1948, is largely based on verbal records. Hence, supplementation of this literature is necessary. The aim of this study is to investigate Kim Won-bong’s post-liberation achievements using periodicals from that time and highlight the significance and characteristics of his activities. Through this, the possibilities and limitations of forming an “independent political force” of the neutral factions in the conflicting dichotomy between “nationalists and anti-nationalists” and “left wing versus right wing” activists in contemporary Korean history. Kim Won-bong’s return to Korea occurred amidst a head-on collision between the “People’s Front” and the “National Front” - two rising political forces that were vying to establish a unified government. As a representative of the Provisional Government, Kim joined the fray and made efforts to form the body of the National United Front. However, he eventually joined the United Democratic National Front after the preparatory meeting of emergency political council propelled by the provisional government transformed into an advisory administrative body of the U.S. military government. As the chairperson of the United Democratic National Front, Kim Won-bong attempted to establish a new provisional government in Korea by supporting the decisions of the trilateral commission, engaged in left-right cooperation, and participated in the US-Soviet Joint Commission. He sought to maintain his own independent identity despite pressure from the Communist Party of Korea. He remained firm to his duty even in the face of heightened assault, detention, and threats by the police. Kim Won-bong was critical of the U.S. military government and Rhee Syngman forces and aimed to expand the capacity of the United Democratic National Front. However, its influence only waned as efforts to merge the three parties went adrift. Hopes for the establishment of a new provisional government through the consultation with the US-Soviet Joint Commission failed after 1947. The only choice Kim Won-bong had left was to rally the power of the people in both the North and South Korea and create a unified and independent nation. To this end, he eventually left Seoul. In Pyongyang, Kim Won-bong understood himself as be a “statesman” and pursued the establishment of the People’s Republic. He was elected as the representative of the Supreme People’s Assembly along with 20 other members of the Korean People’s Republic Party. He was on the very first Cabinet of the DPRK and served as the minister of the National Censorship, Chairman of the People’s Republic Party and the United Democratic National Front to strengthen the power of the people’s government and achieve national unification. During the Korean War period, Kim Won Bong devoted himself to enhancing agricultural production and other support initiatives. In 1952, even after his appointment as the minister of labor, he continued to spearhead wartime production and postwar reconstruction as the chairman of the People’s Republic Party and a member of the Democratic Front for National Reunification. His role in external affairs grew after the “Pak Hon-yong incident.” However, Kim’s activity began to decline markedly after Pyongyang. He lived as a bureaucrat, carrying out his duties as the minister of labor and the vice chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly, until 1958 when he was ousted from the Worker’s Party of Korea after being branded as “bad guy.” Kim Won-bong’s activities and achievements since the postliberation period can be summed up as “reunification and independence.” He sought to maintain his independent identity as a political activist even in Pyongyang despite his eventual transformation into a bureaucrat in the North Korean regime. However, he no longer was able to maintain his position amidst the new postwar reality in the late 1950s.