Nam Il

Nam Il (5 June 1913 – 7 March 1976) was a Russian-born North Korean military officer and co-signer of the Korean Armistice Agreement.

Biography Nam was born Yakov Petrovich Nam probably in the Russian Far East. Due to a Soviet policy, Nam's family, like many Koreans in Russia's Far East, were moved to Central Asia. He was educated at Smolensk Military School and in Tashkent. Nam achieved his final rank of Captain as an Assistant to the Division Chief of Staff of a Soviet Army division during World War II. He took part in some of the greatest battles, including Stalingrad and the Battle of Berlin.

When not serving in the military, he worked in the education sector. In 1946, he was sent to Soviet occupied North Korea, as a member of a contingent of ethnic Korean former Soviet military officers to assist Kim Il Sung, leaving behind a wife and daughter in Soviet Union. He was famous for using an amber cigarette holder.

After the war, Nam Il served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the North Korean government. Along with another Soviet Korean Pak Chong-ae, he worked to help Kim Il Sung break free from Soviet influence. In 1957, he was promoted and became one of several deputy Prime Ministers. Unlike some of his colleagues who were purged, Nam continues to appear in historical photographs.