(The content of this article is based on authoritative sources, and there are literature citation sources at the end of the article)
On February 12, 1997, Hwang Chang-yep, the No. 2 figure in the Workers' Party of Korea and then chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, fled his homeland and defected to South Korea.
Huang Changye's defection was full of hardships, and he spent 13 years in fear in South Korea before dying mysteriously on October 10, 2010.
His wife and eldest daughter committed suicide under intense pressure, and the rest of the family was sent to a labor camp to be punished.
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Huang Changye was born in 1923 and studied in Japan and the Soviet Union in his early years. At that time, he was full of longing for communist ideals and wanted to serve the country.
In the early 50s, Hwang Changye returned to his homeland with a dream, and with his outstanding talent and study of Juche ideology, he soon made a name for himself in North Korea.
Huang Changye's talent was quickly appreciated by party leaders. He was sent to Kim Il Sung University as a teacher and excelled in his teaching work. During this time, he continued his studies and obtained a master's degree from the same university.
While in college, Hwang Changye became acquainted with his guide, North Korean leader Kim Il Sung.
In the 60s, Hwang Changye first served as the vice minister of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, and then was selected by the then supreme leader Kim Il Sung to become the teacher of his son Kim Jong Il.
Being entrusted with the important task of teaching the successor of the supreme leader shows that Hwang Changye's status at the top of the DPRK is high.
During his decades as a teacher of Kim Chong-il, Hwang Chang-ye devoted himself to perfecting and developing the Juche ideology. He wrote a large number of articles expounding on Juche's idea and became one of the core founders of this ideological system.
Kim Il Sung spoke highly of him and publicly stated that "Comrade Hwang Chang-yeol has the most thorough theoretical explanation of the Juche ideology." There are all kinds of signs that Huang Changye's future in North Korea is bright.
With the support of Kim Il Sung, Hwang Changye's political career was smooth sailing. In 1958, he was promoted to the position of party theoretical secretary and officially entered the management.
Kim Il Sung took a fancy to Hwang Changye's talent and loyalty, and regarded him as a confidant and right-hand man. Kim Il Sung often discussed state affairs with him and listened to his opinions and suggestions. Huang Changye lived up to expectations and made achievements in political theory and practice. His talent and loyalty have earned him a higher position.
In 1972, Hwang Chang-yeol was appointed chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly, a position that made him the second-in-command of the Workers' Party of Korea, after Kim Il Sung.
A thought difference
In the early morning of July 8, 1994, North Korea's supreme leader Kim Il Sung died suddenly of a heart attack at the age of 82. Kim Il-sung's death not only signals a change of leadership in North Korea, but also heralds a possible change in the current leadership of the new leader, Kim Jong-il.
Kim Chong-il took full control of North Korea, and Hwang Chang-yep's position at the top of North Korea began to waver. There are rumors that Kim Jong-il deliberately alienated or even suppressed Huang Changye in order to weaken his influence.
Hwang Chang-yeol was trusted and supported by Kim Il Sung, who became an important figure in North Korean politics during the Kim Il Sung era.
The views between Hwang Chang-yeol and Kim Jong-il are different. Such philosophical differences were able to be suppressed during Kim Il Sung's lifetime, but with Kim Il Sung's death, they gradually surfaced.
Kim Jong Il advocated prioritizing the development of national power and adopting aggressive economic and military policies, while Hwang Chang Ye advocated a more prudent and gradual approach. He believes that the DPRK can achieve lasting development and stability only on the premise of consolidating its domestic economic and social foundations.
Although Hwang Changye is still one of North Korea's key leaders on the surface, he has actually lost most of his real power.
Kim Chong-il made a fuss about some minor mistakes of Hwang Chang-yep and punished him in order to punish him. These punishments may seem insignificant, but in fact they are a means by which Kim Jong-il weakens Hwang Chang-yep's power. Every punishment made Huang Changye realize that his situation was becoming more and more dangerous.
In February 1997, Huang Changye went to Japan, hoping to seek assistance for the food crisis in China.
North Korea's economy has deteriorated dramatically since 1994, resulting in food supplies that cannot be properly guaranteed and food shortages are becoming increasingly serious. Although the government allows people to cultivate their own food, this is only a drop in the bucket and cannot solve the problem fundamentally.
Therefore, Huang Changye's trip to Japan is particularly important.
However, the Japanese government ultimately rejected his request, but the trip did not produce the desired results. The failure of the mission filled Huang Changye's heart with worry. He knew that Kim Jong-il might use the defeat as an excuse to suppress him.
So, a bold idea gradually took shape in Huang Changye's heart - defection.
When Huang Changye returned to Korea from Japan, he passed through Beijing, China. Security measures in China may be a little lax compared to Japan's strict vigilance, which is undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to escape.
On February 11, after arriving in Beijing, Huang Changye went to the North Korean Embassy in China as planned. The staff arranged his accommodation and reception as usual, and at first did not notice anything unusual.
As originally scheduled, they would return to North Korea by train at noon the next day. Everything seems to be calm, and there is nothing out of the ordinary.
On the 12th, Huang Changye dressed neatly, and deliberately changed into a decent tweed coat and a hat. He told his entourage that he was going out to buy some things, and promised to come back to attend the farewell reception held in his honor by the embassy.
However, when the time came, the guests were all there, and Huang Changye was still nowhere to be seen.
The staff began to feel uneasy. After not seeing Huang Changye return for a long time, and no one answered the phone, everyone realized that things might not be so simple, and there was tension in the embassy.
The embassy immediately organized people to search for it, but there was no news. What made them even more shocked was that Jin Dehong, Huang Changye's close aide, also disappeared at the same time.
There are all kinds of indications that this high-ranking North Korean official may be determined to defect.
At this time, the news that Huang Changye successfully hid in the South Korean embassy in China to seek political asylum spread far and wide. It turned out that Huang Changye came directly to the South Korean Embassy in China on the grounds of purchasing special products.
After the news broke, there was an uproar inside and outside the DPRK embassy in China. No one expected that the high-ranking officials of the DPRK Central Committee would take the risk of defecting to South Korea.
Huang Changye has always held a high position in North Korea and is one of the core founders of Juche Thought. The defection not only has a huge negative impact on North Korea's international image, but is also likely to cause a large number of state secrets in his possession to fall into the hands of the enemy, with unimaginable consequences.
North Korea sent people to break into the South Korean embassy and arrest him. At the same time, North Korean students were also arranged to hold a protest outside the embassy. On February 17, Kim Jong Il announced that Hwang Chang-yep had been officially recognized as a traitor.
But the Chinese government is caught between a rock and a hard place. It is China's responsibility to protect the security of its embassies, but at the same time, China also adheres to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
China's diplomatic mediation has become particularly important. North Korea eventually abandoned its plan to capture Huang Changye, and after negotiations, it was agreed that Huang Changye would be sent to the Philippines for refuge.
But who knows, just two months later, Huang Changye secretly entered South Korea under the protection of the South Korean government.
South Korean asylum
In order to welcome his arrival, the South Korean government prepared a high-level reception ceremony at all costs. South Korea's then-President Kim Yong-sam personally went to greet him and praised Hwang Chang-yeol as a "hero" in public.
In order to prevent assassination, Huang Changye was arranged in a heavily guarded safe house as soon as he got off the plane, and a large number of heavily armed agents guarded him day and night. The South Korean government provided Hwang Changye with a safe place to live and favorable living conditions to ensure the safety of his life in South Korea.
The United States also attaches great importance to the North Korean defector. It has been learned that the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has repeatedly sent personnel to make secret contact with Huang Changye in an attempt to obtain information about the DPRK's nuclear program from him.
As a defector, Hwang lived in constant fear of assassination by North Korean agents. North Korean state media have publicly denounced Hwang Chang-yeol as a "traitor" and "scum" and threatened to punish him.
These remarks exacerbated Huang Changye's insecurity even more.
In order to ensure Hwang Changye's safety, the South Korean government has equipped him with 24-hour bodyguards and guards. His whereabouts are kept strictly confidential, and public activities are minimized.
Even so, Mr. Huang remains on the lookout for threats from North Korea. His life is extremely low-key, and he rarely appears in the public eye.
While living in South Korea, Mr. Huang gave several media interviews about his experience in North Korea and the reasons for his defection. He criticized Kim Jong-il's dictatorship and called on the international community to pay attention to the plight of the North Korean people.
These remarks further infuriated the North Korean government, putting Mr. Huang in ever-increasing danger.
Despite living in fear, Hwang Changye is still adjusting to his new life in South Korea. He studied Korean language and culture and interacted with Korean politicians and academics.
Since the beginning of the 21st century, relations between the ROK and the DPRK have gradually eased, and the two sides have begun to resume dialogue.
In 2000, then South Korean President Kim Tae-jung even held an unprecedented summit meeting with Kim Chong-il in Pyongyang and signed the "June 15 Joint Declaration." This marks a new stage in inter-Korean relations.
As North Korea's number one defector, Huang Changye's position has become awkward. In order to promote reconciliation between the two Koreas, South Korea had to downplay Hwang Changye's existence and even restrict his activities.
In his later years, Mr. Huang lived in a residence arranged for him by the South Korean government, and rarely appeared in public except for occasional interviews and events.
He was guarded by guards at all times, and his movement was subject to many restrictions. Although South Korea has given him preferential treatment materially, it has deliberately distanced itself politically so as not to affect relations with North Korea.
Huang Changye has become an outcast.
Long-term stress and fear have taken a toll on his physical and mental health. His health deteriorated and he often needed medical attention.
Huang Changye spent 13 years in South Korea. For him, these 13 years were both 13 years of freedom and 13 years of fear. He has never been able to completely escape the shadow of North Korea, living in fear of being assassinated at any moment.
This fear stayed with him until October 10, 2010, when he died mysteriously in a hospital in Seoul.
The cause of Huang Changye's death became a mystery. The official statement said that he died of illness, but public opinion expressed doubts about it. Some speculate that he may have been assassinated by North Korean agents.
Ironically, shortly before Hwang Changye's death, Kim Jong-il's third son, Kim Jong-un, had just been identified as North Korea's successor.
Families are ruined
Huang Changye's defection, the most worried and frightened is undoubtedly his family in North Korea. Huang Changye can start a new life under the protection of South Korea, while his family in North Korea has to endure the great pain of losing their loved ones and freedom.
Immediately after he fled to South Korea, the North Korean government imposed severe punitive measures against his family. Hwang's wife and three daughters are under house arrest at their home in Pyongyang, where they are subject to constant censorship and surveillance.
North Korean state media began a public opinion attack on Hwang Changye's family.
They were portrayed as "families of traitors" and were condemned and spurned by society as a whole.
The long-term mental pressure and social discrimination made Huang Changye's wife and eldest daughter unbearable. A year after Huang Changye defected, they chose to commit suicide by poisoning and ended their lives.
Huang Changye's other two daughters did not choose to commit suicide, but their fate was equally tragic. The North Korean government sent them to a labor camp on charges of being "traitor's family."
There, they are subjected to inhumane treatment and face heavy labor and harsh punishment on a daily basis. Living conditions in the camps are deplorable, with hunger and disease threatening their lives.
Resources:
1. Xinhua News Agency published news again on the Huang Changye incident Huang Changye was sent out of the Chinese border and went to a third country. People's Daily. 1997-03-18: 4. Huang was sent out of China on March 18 for a third country