1. Chough Pyung-ok ran against incumbent president Syngman Rhee in the 1960 presidential election but died on February 15, one month before the election on March 15.
11 Facts About Chough Pyung-ok
1. 2.
Chough Pyung-ok was the first Director of the Korean National Police from 1945 to 1949 and Minister of Home Affairs during the early stages of the Korean War.
3.
Chough Pyung-ok attended a high school in Kingston in the state of Pennsylvania before going on to study at Columbia University in New York.
4.
Chough Pyung-ok graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1922 and proceed to gain a Doctorate in Economics in 1925.
5.
On completing his tertiary education, Chough Pyung-ok returned to Korea and worked as a teacher at Choson Christian College.
6.
Chough Pyung-ok was an emissary for Syngman Rhee, the country's first president.
7.
Chough Pyung-ok fell out with Rhee after the Geochang massacre; Rhee had interfered with the resulting investigation and released the perpetrators under an amnesty.
8.
In early 1951, Chough Pyung-ok resigned his ministerial post in protest.
9.
Chough Pyung-ok continued to be critical of Rhee, particularly at time of the latter's unilateral decision in mid-1953 to release North Korean prisoners of war during the armistice talks at Panmunjom.
10.
Chough Pyung-ok argued that this negatively impacted the ROK's diplomatic relationships.
11.
Chough Pyung-ok was taken to the United States for medical treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, but died there on February 15,1960.