The Joong Ang Ilbo’s continuing series of interviews with Korean War hero Paik Sun-yup continues to be fascinating:

Part of the strong offensive was due to pressure coming from the top of the command chain. The North Korean leader Kim Il Sung was getting antsy. Soon after the outbreak of the war, when North Korean troops gained control of Seoul, Kim made an appearance in the capital city. However, as ROK troops focused on tactics to delay combat and U.S. troops arrived en masse, Kim could not hide his anxiety.

Kim was under the illusion that if he started a war, an armed uprising would ensue in the South and the North Korean troops would be welcomed. He also incorrectly bet that the Americans would not get involved in the war. He was eager but still young and inexperienced, and his judgment had been off. Although he had started a full-scale invasion, he did not foresee the consequences his decisions would bring.

After a brief stay in Seoul, Kim rode a Soviet Gaz-67 jeep down the Gyeongbu axial line and came as far as Suanbo in North Chungcheong. He went to encourage his troops and to give the men a morale boost. According to records, Kim reached Suanbo on July 20, just before the U.S. and ROK troops were pushed back to the Nakdong line.

Accompanying him was Kang Kon, the chief of staff of the North Korean People’s Army. Kim Il Sung met there with the front line council.

“Seize Busan by Aug. 15, and let’s finish this effort to liberate Korea,” Kim reportedly ordered. “Let’s make the upcoming National Liberation Day a festival to mark the liberation of the South.”

Kim did not stop there, giving out more specific orders on how the North Korean troops should carry out the attack. He recommended the troops avoid meeting the opposing ROK forces, instead taking detours and making good use of mountain trails so that they could attack the ROK troops from the side and rear.

Kim Chek, who was in charge of the North Korean offensive on the front lines, made his way down to Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang, and tried to carry out Kim’s orders to the best of his ability. The North Koreans were reduced to employing guards to keep their men from deserting. The role of the guards was to shoot and kill any men who attempted to retreat from the front line. So the North Korean troops continued their offense.

Although we fought each other, turn back the hands of time and Kim Il Sung and I crossed paths on several occasions. My birthplace, Gangseo, South Pyongan Province, is next to Daedong, Kim’s birthplace. During my younger years, I actually came in contact with him a few times. I attended a rally to commemorate the liberation from Japan in Pyongyang at which he gave a speech. I also saw Kim on several occasions visit the office of Cho Man-sik, a nationalist leader in the Korean independence movement, during my tenure as one of Cho’s assistants.

Kim was generally well-liked because he was extroverted and a solid orator.

During his stay in Seoul, Kim and his men did not inflict any damage on the presidential residence the Blue House, then called Gyeongmudae. The structures and everything in them were left intact. It’s a striking contrast to the behavior of the Chinese Army, which caused significant damage to the building.

Why did he have his men preserve the Blue House? I heard the North Koreans were conscientious about preserving the past and keen on protecting the ancient cultural treasures and relics in their possession. Even when they were pushed out of Pyongyang by advancing ROK and American troops, they transported ancient texts, celadon, Buddhist artwork and other ancient artifacts during their retreat to Kanggye, Chagang Province in North Korea.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

Read the rest at the link, but something else I learned from the article was that the Japanese had a World War II POW camp at Incheon where they kept Americans.  Does anyone know where in Incheon this POW camp was located?