1. Chae Myung-shin was a South Korean army officer who commanded South Korean military forces in the Vietnam War.
22 Facts About Chae Myung-shin
1. 2.
Chae Myung-shin was the co-founder of the Korean Taekwondo Association.
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Chae Myung-shin was born on 27 November 1926, in Koksan County, to a father who was an anti-Japanese activist and a devout Christian mother, and grew up as a native believer.
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Chae Myung-shin's father was imprisoned and was released shortly after independence of Korea in 1945, but died in early December 1945 due to the aftereffects of torture, and his mother worked as a member of the church.
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In 1944, at the age of 19, Chae was conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army and participated in training.
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Chae Myung-shin was appointed as a teacher to Deokhae Elementary School in Yonggang, South Pyongan Province.
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Chae Myung-shin moved to the southern part of Korean Peninsula in 1947, to escape communism.
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In Gangwon-do, Chae Myung-shin reunited with his mother since leaving North Korea in 1947.
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In 1951, Chae Myung-shin led his unit deep into north of the 38th parallel.
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Chae Myung-shin served as the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 21st Regiment of the 8th Infantry Division in the Korean War, and led the troops in the expedition in North.
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Chae Myung-shin became the authority on guerrilla tactics of the South Korean Army.
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In 1953, following the signing of Korean Armistice Agreement, Chae Myung-shin was promoted to colonel.
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Chae Myung-shin served as the chief of the 5th Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division, the Chief of Staff of the 3rd Infantry Division, and the leader of the 60th Regiment of the 20th Infantry Division.
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Chae Myung-shin led the 5th Infantry Division and participated in the May 16 Coup in 1961, which led to installing a reformist military Supreme Council for National Reconstruction effectively led by Park Chung Hee and led to end of the Second Republic of Korea.
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Chae Myung-shin initially expressed opposition in sending South Korean troops to Vietnam due to his belief that the South Korean Army are not adapted to the environmental conditions of the Viet Cong and the jungles of Vietnam, but might affect South Korea's defense and economy.
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Chae Myung-shin finally agreed and went to Saigon, South Vietnam to command the South Korean troops in Vietnam.
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Chae Myung-shin used his guerrilla warfare experience during the Korean War to implement tough tactics within the South Korean Army to deal with the Viet Cong.
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Chae Myung-shin adopted strong tactics for the Vietnamese as an authority on guerrilla tactics, which involved the routine practice of hostage taking and reprisals, while laying blame on the Viet Cong for purported atrocities.
19.
On 3 May 1969, Chae Myung-shin was relieved of the position of commander of the South Korean military forces in Vietnam.
20.
Chae Myung-shin flew back to Seoul by a military plane from South Vietnam, to serve as the commander of the 2nd Field Army Command in South Korea.
21.
In 2000, Chae Myung-shin was newly appointed as the chairman of the Vietnam War Companionship Association.
22.
Chae Myung-shin was married to Moon Jeong-in, who was born to a wealthy family in North Gyeongsang Province and a graduate of Ewha Womans University.