Li Tiefu

Li Tefu, originally named Han Weijian, also used aliases such as Kim Won-ho, Hu Guoming, Han Gukli, and Yungang. Within the Party, he was known by the alias Li Tefu, and due to the needs of secret work, he used the alias Mr. Yang externally. He was born in 1901 into a peasant family in Hongwon, South Hamgyong Province, on the Korean Peninsula. During his adolescence, he actively participated in anti-Japanese struggles and was determined to contribute to the national liberation cause. In March 1919, during the March 1st Movement in Korea, Li Tefu served as one of the leaders of the Korean Student Independence Movement Headquarters and read the "Declaration of Independence," which led to him being wanted by Japanese police.

In 1920, Li Tefu went to Japan to study under a pseudonym, first attending Kyoto Imperial University Medical School and then the Department of Political Economy at Waseda University, where he studied Marxist-Leninist works. Later, he returned to Korea and used his roles as a reporter and editor for the "Dong-A Ilbo" and "Chosun Ilbo" newspapers to engage in the founding of the Korean Communist Party. During this period, he joined the Korean Marxist-Leninist League and was elected as a Central Committee member at the First Congress of the Korean Communist Party in spring 1926. In 1928, after the Korean Communist Party was severely damaged, he went into exile again in China and joined the Communist Party of China.

In 1931, Li Tefu was dispatched by the CCP to Beiping (Beijing) to work, serving as the secretary of the Beiping Anti-Imperialist League’s branch, beginning his work in important CCP positions. In September 1932, he successively became the Propaganda Minister and Organization Minister of the CCP Hebei Provincial Committee, emphasizing the improvement of Party members’ Marxist theory level. He adopted a cautious and objective attitude in organizational work, but in 1933, he was arrested during the Beiping Anti-Imperialist League branch meeting but was rescued and released by the Party organization.

Later, Li Tefu lived secretly in Tianjin, operating underground under a pseudonym. His relationship with Zhang Xiuyan evolved from pretending to be a married couple to becoming genuine partners. Together, they participated in anti-Japanese salvation movements, published periodicals, and organized mass resistance against Japanese aggression. In 1934, he proposed several strategies for the struggle within the Party, facing organizational exclusion but persisting in his work. In 1936, with the reorganization of the Tianjin Party organization, Li Tefu was appointed as a member of the Hebei Provincial Committee and Secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Committee, promoting the work of the anti-Japanese national united front.

In 1937, Li Tefu, as a representative of underground work in White areas, went to Yan’an to participate in important Party meetings, offering critical opinions and receiving praise from Mao Zedong. Through extensive underground work, he became overworked and developed tuberculosis. On July 10, 1939, Li Tefu died in Yan’an due to typhoid at the age of less than 40. The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party held a grand memorial ceremony and erected a monument in his honor, commemorating his contributions to the revolution. He holds an important place in the revolutionary histories of China and Korea and is regarded as one of the outstanding leaders of the Korean and Chinese revolutions.