Kim Shimin

Kim Shimin (Zhenian: 김시민/金時敏), was a Zhenian military leader and who served as the 8th Chancellor of the Republic of Zhenia from 1959 to 1979, during the Third Republic. With a term length of over 21 years, he retains the title of the longest-serving Chancellor in Zhenian history. Prior to his term as Chancellor, he had served as a military leader of the Republic of Zhenia Army during the First and Second Great Wars, having been responsible for military campaigns in the Hanmaric Ocean and Yinguo in both wars.

Born in modern-day Dongdo on October 26, 1484 AC, Kim Shimin became a military officer of the Republic of Zhenia Army after graduating the Republic of Zhenia Military Academy,, in 1914. Having led his company in the first landings during the Yinguonese Campaign in the First Great War, he was awarded the Medal of the Phoenix for his bravery during the campaign. Following the end of the First Great War, he served under the Governor-Generals of Yinguo and was ultimately promoted to lieutenant general by 1427 AC, becoming the youngest lieutenant general in Zhenian history at the time. During the Second Great War, he oversaw major Zhenian campaigns in the southeastern front; he was displaced to oversee the defense effort of the mainland by 1435, staying near Daedo until the end of the war. Although he had been formally released from service directly after Zhenian defeat of the Second Great War, he began to be affiliated in the Front of National Salvation, an organization of Zhenian veterans and former military commanders formed after the Second Great War to conspire against the Second Republic.

In February 13, 1549 AC, Kim Shimin participated in a paramilitary coup alongside the Front of National Salvation against Choi Yoondeok's government, effectively ending the Second Republic. After the coup's success, he temporarily headed the National Reconstruction Council and was eventually elected into Chancellor in the elections that were held on March 1. After purging and repressing political opponents via the implementation of the National Security Act and strengthening his monopoly over the nation's politics, his regime led the post-war reconstruction effort of Zhenia, returning the Zhenian economy as a central economy in global affairs amid the Zhenian economic miracle. Extensive also took place during his rule, characterized by deregulation and currency stabilization to increase the competitiveness of Zhenian exports in the global market. He also contributing heavily in re-establishing and rebuilding the Republic of Zhenia Defense Forces amid changing international circumstances, while also credited for elevating Zhenia's position in the international stage after the Second Great War, participating in the World Concordat. In the process of achieving Zhenia's resurgence, however, he eschewed policies in favor of long-term social and economic planning, as well as centralized authoritarianism and championing  into the governing principles of Zhenia, which resulted in his loss of popularity amid economic stagnation in the 1560s. Amid nationwide protests and rallies calling for the end of the Third Republic's brutal policies, he resigned on November 11, 1569 AC, thus concluding the November Revolution.

Following his resignation from Chancellor, he was arrested with charges against the constitutional order of the Zhenian state and its people, having spearheaded the Third Republic from its beginning to its end. He was, however, specially pardoned on December 25, 1569, following his announcement of relinquishing all privileges and assets allocated to him as (former) Chancellor as well as his political retirement altogether. He retired to his home in the Haedong Special Administrative Region and distanced himself from the political affairs of the Fourth Republic, making very few public appearances in the last three years of his life until his death on June 4, 1572 AC. Despite his controversy concerning the atrocities of the Third Republic, he is remembered as one of the fathers of modern Zhenia, having led the resurgence of Zhenia in the global stage, is considered the incarnation of Zhenian meritocratic and conservative ideals.

Death and memorial


Kim Shimin died on June 4, 1572 AC due to natural causes in his home at Dongdo, Haedong Special Administrative Region. He is the first Zhenian Chancellor to have his death coincide with the Zhenian National Day. His last recorded words, according to his eldest son Kim Jinseok, were "Only history will justify our actions." Against the opposition of several November Revolution leaders, he was given a under the Li Shan Administration six days after his death on June 10, 1572, marking the most recent state funeral in Zhenian history as well as the first for a military leader. The funeral was attended by a large number of international guests, with over 70 nations represented. The guests included:


 * Chancellor Li Shan and Premier Chang Inseok from Zhenia, as well as all Cabinet and Parliament members

Memorial and burial
Following his death, the location of his resting place was a source of great debate throughout the 1570s, as it concerned his legitimacy in modern Zhenian history. There were three major contenders to the location of his burial - organizations such as the Zhenia National Veterans' Association vouched for his burial in the Gwangmu National Cemetery in Daedo in reverence of his military history; right-wing statesmen, politicians and those loyal to the Third Republic proposed the construction of his memorial in Daedo; finally, left-wing politicians and November Revolution leaders demanded his burial within his personal estate, leaving the issue for his surviving family to decide.

While public opinion at the time was mainly geared towards against the construction of a national memorial under his name in the 1560s, then-Chancellor Li Shan ultimately decided that a dedicated national memorial under his name will be built in Dongdo, near his home. This was realized with the completion of the Kim Shimin Memorial in 1576 - prior to its completion, his interim resting place was in Plot 4-Ga at Gwangmu National Cemetery, a mixed plot normally dedicated to soldiers and officers alike. On June 7, 1576, with the completion of the memorial, his coffin was enshrined into the memorial permanently.

Legacy
The life of Kim Shimin is one of the most controversial issues in modern Zhenian history, partially due to the ambivalent nature of his life. On one side, Kim Shimin is hailed as one of the four "fathers of modern Zhenia" alongside Li Zichuan (Emperor Seongjo), Amasar Ren and Li Shan, due to his accomplishments in Zhenia's economic resurgence and recovery under the Third Republic. Citing the immense economic growth seen during the Third Republic, many have cited Kim Shimin to be responsible for the nation's economic achievements to this day.

At the same time, however, Kim Shimin is also viewed as a brutal dictator who had set back Zhenia's history of democracy by several decades with the Coup of 1549 and the establishment of the authoritarian Third Republic. This is the primary viewpoint shared by left-wing political leaders and parties in Zhenia. He is also viewed negatively in that he was partially responsible for human rights abuses during the Third Republic, many of which were conducted against political opponents and separatists under the National Security Act.