1972 and he left the office in 1974. He died in Pyongyang in 1976. Following his death he was given a state funeral. Personal life In his memoirs, Hwang Jang-yop, a former chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly who defected to South Korea said Choe was famous for being very hard to have close relations with, but in reality he was not that strict. In 1970 there were reports of his deteriorating health, and after attending in November 1970 the KWP Congress and retaining his Vice-Marshal position, he departed for treatment in the German Democratic Republic. Works See also Kim Kwang-hyop Kim Il-sung Zhou Baozhong References |- |- |- 1900 births 1976 deaths North Korean atheists Korean communists People from Taechon County Korean Social Democratic Party politicians Heads of state of North Korea Vice presidents of North Korea North Korean generals North Korean military personnel of the Korean War Chairmen of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly Kim Won-bong Defence ministers of North Korea Vice Chairmen of the Workers' Party of Korea and its predecessors Members of the 1st Supreme People's Assembly Members of the 2nd Supreme People's Assembly Members of the 3rd Supreme People's Assembly Members of the 4th Supreme People's Assembly Members of the 5th Supreme People's Assembly People of 88th Separate Rifle Brigade