Jo was born in
Yonsa County,
North Hamgyong Province,
Korea, Empire of Japan on 12 July 1928 and he joined the
Korean People's Army in December 1950. He was a graduate of the Manchuria Aviation School and Soviet Air Academy. By 1998, when he was also appointed to the position of First Vice Chairman of the
National Defence Commission, he was the second most powerful person in the country, ranking immediately beneath
Kim Jong Il himself. In 2000, he visited the US on a goodwill mission. During the visit, he met with US President
Bill Clinton, his counterpart
William Cohen, and US Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright. He was the first North Korean official to visit the White House or meet a
President of the United States. The Clinton administration reciprocated by sending Albright to Pyongyang one week later to meet
Kim Jong Il. ==Death==