| Cho Chang-ho 조창호 | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2 October 1930 |
| Died | 19 November 2006 (aged 76) |
| Place of birth | Pyongyang, Japanese Korea |
| Place of death | Seoul, South Korea |
| Service/branch |
 Republic of Korea Army |
| Years of service |
1950-1951, 1951-1994 (as POW) |
| Rank |
Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars |
|
| C | |
| Hangul | 조창호 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 趙昌浩 |
| Revised Romanization | Cho Chang-ho |
| McCune–Reischauer | Cho Ch'angho |
Cho Chang-ho (Hangul: 조창호; October 2, 1930 – November 19, 2006) was a South Korean military officer. He served South Korea, during the Korean War.
Cho Chang-ho is known as the first South Korean POW to escape from North Korea after the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953.[1]
Early life and education[]
Cho Chang-ho was born in Pyongyang. His family moved to Seoul in 1936. and he graduated from Gyeonggi Commercial High school and entered Yonsei University in 1950.
On 25 June 1950, Outbreak of Korean War, He entered the Republic of Korea Army in October 1950 and became an ROK Army officer in April 1951.
Korean War[]
In May 1951, he took part in the Battle of Hanseok Mountain at Inje County and became a POW of the Chinese Army.
He was interned for 43 years in North Korea.[2]
Escape[]
In October 1994, he escaped from North Korea and returned to South Korea.
In South Korea, he devoted the rest of his life to the repatriation effort of other POWs.
In 2006, he attended United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs and testified about the POW issue[3]
Death and legacy[]
Cho Chang-ho died on 19 November 2006.
In popular culture[]
Cho Chang-ho on-screen.
- Cha In-pyo in South Korean movie Albatross
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ First prisoner of war to flee the North dies
- ↑ "A Hero's Welcome After 43 Years : Community: South Korean soldier Chang-Ho Cho, who finally made a dramatic escape from North Korea, is greeted in Los Angeles". 24 June 1995. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-06-24-mn-16724-story.html.
- ↑ 미의회 국군포로 청문회
The original article can be found at Cho Chang-ho (soldier) and the edit history here.