Yakov Novichenko

Common card · No. 296997

Yakov Tikhonovich Novichenko (Russian: Яков Тихонович Новиченко; 28 April 1914 – 8 December 1994) was a Soviet military officer. He notably protected Kim Il Sung, the first leader of North Korea, from an assassination attempt in 1946. He is considered the only non-Korean to have had a cult of personality in the country, and is the only non-Korean to have received the Hero of Labor award, the highest title in North Korea. Novichenko served in the Red Army beginning in 1938, and participated in the Soviet–Japanese War. After the end of World War II, he was stationed in Pyongyang. During a rally in Pyongyang on 1 May 1946, Novichenko intercepted a grenade thrown at Kim Il Sung and other bystanders. The grenade was allegedly thrown by a member of the Korean anti-communist terrorist group the White Shirts Society. Novichenko narrowly survived, suffering severe wounds and the loss of his right hand and forearm. He was promised the prestigious Hero of the Soviet Union award by his commanding officer...

Read on Wikipedia