The head of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sergei Nadsadin, considers the opening of the monument a historic event for the city.
“Many people remember Evgeniy Ivanovich with warmth and awareness of his uniqueness, his intelligence, his devotion to his country and his duty. He worked for more than 20 years in special conditions, it is easy to imagine how much he had to overcome in order to successfully cope with all the challenges of task management,” said Sergei Nadsadin.
The right to open the monument by removing the veil was granted to the Hero’s nephew, Kim Kyung Soo. Veterans and representatives of the Korean diaspora also participated in the inauguration of the bust.
Evgeny Kim was born in 1932 in Korea, annexed by Japan in those years. Of course, at birth, the future Soviet intelligence officer received a Korean name – Kim Yong Cher. He will become Evgeniy Ivanovich only at the age of 45. And in 1942 his family moved to Sakhalin. In 1960, Kim Yong Cher graduated in Japanese Philology from the Oriental Faculty of Leningrad State University. He is fluent in Japanese, Korean, English, and Spanish. Since 1962 he has been involved in operational intelligence work. In 1966, as an illegal intelligence officer, he was in one of the Asian countries with a complex operational and intelligence situation. He worked under special conditions until 1989.
In 1987, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner, the Red Star, “For Services to the Fatherland”, the medal “For Courage”, the insignia “Honorary State Security “. Officer” and “For Service in Intelligence”, departmental insignia and medals.
In 1998, Evgeny Kim died tragically in a traffic accident in Moscow. Officially, his name as an illegal intelligence officer was made public in 2020.
