Paek Nam-un
Paek Nam-un | |
|---|---|
백남운 | |
Paek in 1948 | |
| Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly | |
| In office 16 December 1967 – 28 December 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Choe Won-taek |
| Succeeded by | Han Duk-su |
| Vice Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly Standing Committee | |
| 3rd term | |
| In office 23 October 1962 – 16 December 1967 | |
| Chairman | Choe Yong-gon |
| 2nd term | |
| In office 25 March 1961 – 23 October 1962 | |
| Chairman | Choe Yong-gon |
| Minister of Education | |
| In office 9 September 1948 – 16 January 1956 | |
| Premier | Kim Il Sung |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Kim Chang-man |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 February 1894 North Hamgyong Province, Korea |
| Died | 12 June 1979 (aged 85) |
| Political party | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Alma mater | Communist University of the Toilers of the East |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | North Korea |
Paek Nam-un (Korean: 백남운; 11 February 1894 – 12 June 1979) was a Korean economist, educator, and political activist during the Japanese colonial period and later a politician in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
As a professor of economics at Yeonhee College, he was a leading socialist theorist who applied Marxist principles to Korean history to counter the official narratives of the Japanese colonial government. Along with his colleague Lee Soon-Tak, he was a prominent figure among anti-colonial intellectuals. After Korea's liberation in 1945, Paek became a leader in the Nam Joseon New Democratic Party and advocated for a "New Democracy" through a broad "National Unification Front" that would unite various political parties and social classes.
In April 1948, Paek traveled to North Korea for a unification conference and remained there permanently. He subsequently held several high-ranking posts in the new government, serving as North Korea's first Minister of Education from 1948 to 1956 and later as Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly from 1967 to 1972.