Born and raised in Seongjin, Hambuk (nowadays Kimchaek), North Hamgyong Province, he led the anti-Japanese movement in solidarity with the unions that existed in Joseon during the Japanese occupation in 1927.

In the early 1930s, he realized that it was difficult to engage in labor and independence movements without socialism and economic knowledge in Joseon.

After returning to the Korean Peninsula in 1935, he joined the labor union and committed to an active strike and anti-Japanese movement toward Japan, and in 1936, he was serving as a prisoner in the Sungjin Farmers Union and served in prison for three years.

Since 1940, he has participated in the reconstruction movement of the Communist Party of Korea and, after liberation, organized the National Council of the Korean Workers' Union, a labor movement group affiliated with the Namro Party.

However, the anti-communist youth group and the U.S. military police force failed to crack down on him, and he remained silent for a year before being caught and served for a year in prison.