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Lew Byong-hion
Lew Byong-hion
Born	18 October 1924; Cheongwon County, Chūseihoku-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan
Died	21 May 2020 (aged 95)
Nationality	South Korean
Korean name
Hangul	류병현 or 유병현
Hanja	柳炳賢
Revised Romanization	Ryu Byeong-hyeon
McCune–Reischauer	Ryu Byŏnghyŏn

Lew Byong-hion^[2] (Korean: 류병현; RR: Ryu Byeonghyeon; Korean pronunciation: [rju.bjʌŋhjʌn]; 18 October 1924 – 21 May 2020) was a South Korean general and diplomat. He served in the Republic of Korea Army from 1948 to 1981, after which he served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs until 1986. Some sources also give his name as Lew Byong-hyon, Lew Byong-hyun, Lew Byung-hyun, or Yu Byung-hyun.

Biography

Lew was born on 18 October 1924 in Cheongwon County, Chūseihoku-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan (now in South Korea).^[3]

Military career

Lew graduated from the 7th class of the Korea Military Academy in 1948.^[4] He was promoted to brigadier-general in 1961.^[4] He was a supporter of Park Chung Hee's coup in May that year, and was rewarded for his loyalty with a post in Park's junta as Minister of Agriculture after the resignation of Major General Chang Kyu-soon in June 1963.^[4]^[5]

Lew continued in his military posts as well; from September 1966 to September 1967, he was Commander of the "Tiger" Division in Vietnam.^[4] Among other operations, he was responsible for the controversial evacuation of civilians from the mountains of Phu Cat District in 1966.^[6] After his return from Vietnam, Lew became the Director of Planning and Operations (작전기획부장) under the Joint Chiefs of Staff.^[4] He was widely noted for his 1968 prediction that North Korea would launch an all-out attack on South Korea, "whether it be today or in years to come", though Charles H. Bonesteel III disagreed with his assessment.^[7]

Lew continued his rise through the ranks, finally being promoted to daejang in 1977.^[4] In that capacity, he inaugurated the ROK-US Combined Forces Command in 1978 and served as its first deputy commander.^[8] In December 1979, Lew additionally became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.^[4] As Chairman, Lew visited the United States in November 1980 at the invitation of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman David C. Jones. While there, he met with then-President-elect Ronald Reagan's national security advisor Richard V. Allen regarding Kim Dae-jung, who was facing capital punishment on charges of sedition for his role in the Gwangju Uprising; this was the first step in a diplomatic push by Reagan that would ultimately see Kim's death sentence commuted.^[9]^[10] He held the position of Chairman until his retirement from the military in 1981.^[4]

Civilian career

After his retirement, Lew continued working for the South Korean government in civilian positions. He was named South Korea's eleventh ambassador to the United States in May 1981, succeeding Kim Yong-shik.^[11]^[12]^[13] Among other duties there, he continued to keep a close eye on Kim Dae-jung, who had gone into exile in the United States in 1982 after his prison sentence was suspended.^[14] He remained in Washington D.C. until 1985, thereafter becoming the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' ambassador-at-large until 1986.^[4]

Personal life

He was married to Yang Jeong-hui (양정희), with whom he had four sons.^[4]

References

^ "病魔와 싸우면서 90세에 회고록 낸 '韓美연합사 창설의 主役' 柳炳賢 장군 양심상 代筆을 할 수 없었다는 '老兵의 마지막 전투'". Monthly Chosun. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
^ "First deputy commander of S. Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command dies at age 97". Yonhap News Agency. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
^ "유병현". Nate. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j "만나보고 싶었습니다-유병현 前 합참의장 (Let's get to know former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lew Byong-hyun)". Korea Defense Daily. 28 September 2002. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
^ "Food Crisis Ousts Minister in Korea". The New York Times. 26 June 1963. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
^ "'The Innocent Must Suffer'". Gadsden Times. 13 October 1966. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
^ "Red Attack Not Imminent". Ellensburg Daily Record. 28 January 1968. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
^ "Candid Advice from a Veteran of the Alliance". Chosun Ilbo. 11 September 2006. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
^ Halloran, Richard (20 November 1980). "Seoul's Top Soldier Warned by U.S. on Dissident Case; Reagan Aides Also Concerned Seoul Reliant on U.S. Support". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
^ Evans, Rowland; Novak, Robert (4 February 1981). "Reagan's private intervention saved Kim". Eugene Register-Guard. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
^ "駐美大使에 柳炳賢씨 (Lew Byong-hyun to be ambassador in U.S.)". Kyunghyang Shinmun. 15 May 1981. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
^ "駐美大使柳炳賢씨내정 (Lew Byong-hyun nominated as ambassador to U.S.)". Dong-A Ilbo. 15 May 1981. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
^ "New ambassador chosen by Korea". The Day. 21 May 1981. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
^ "Ambassador warns dissident". Ellensburg Daily Record. 29 November 1984. Retrieved 28 May 2013.

Military offices
Preceded by Kim Jong-Hwan	Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 1979–1981	Succeeded by Yoon Seung-Min
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Kim Yong-shik	Ambassador of South Korea to the United States 1981–1985	Succeeded by Kim Kyung-won