Kim Pen Hwa

Kim Pen Hwa (Russian: Ким Пён Хва, Korean: 김병화; 6 August [O.S.

In 1927 he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and in 1929, he took part in the military operations of the conflict over the East China Railway.

Further repressions against the Korean population of the Primorsky Krai occurred and as a result, Kim was arrested on July 14, 1938 on the accusations of being an alleged member of the nationalist Communist Party of Korea.

With his diligence, ability to mobilize people and other organizational skills, Kim won the respect of his fellow villagers and attracted the attention of the district party leadership.

By introducing trap crops (alfalfa-cotton) system, even though it was condemned and rejected by the president of the VASKhNIL Trofim Lysenko, they achieved the enrichment of the soil with the necessary organic substances, carried out extensive drainage work, reclaimed fallows and Tugay, etc.

The Soviet authorities also supported their efforts and willingness to adapt to the new reality, so they allowed the introduction of Korean publications, intellectual life and schools in stages.

[9] In the difficult post-war years, when Soviet Union experienced an acute shortage of food, the Kim's collective farm demonstrated a high level of labor productivity.

The indicators achieved by individual brigades and links of the collective farm in rice cultivation were very high even on a national scale.

In order to increase the material interest of collective farmers and reduce the cost of production in all brigades, cost accounting was introduced, units headed by tractor drivers were created, contracts were concluded between the brigades and the management of the collective farm.

Kim Pen Hwa (second from left) with his colleagues (1940)
Deported Koreans from the Soviet Far East at a collective farm in Uzbek SSR (1937)