Meritorious Service Record

After 1939, Hu Zongnan served as the Commander-in-Chief of the 34th Army Group of the Kuomintang and held key positions such as Director of the Xi’an Branch of the Military Affairs Department and Deputy Commander (later Commander) of the 8th Military Region. During this period, he provided support for the establishment of the Military Special Detachment for Recruitment (軍事特派團) under the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea and assisted in relocating the Korean Youth Battlefield Service Corps (韓國靑年戰地工作隊) and the General Headquarters of the Korean Liberation Army (KLA) to Xi’an.
In April 1939, under the leadership of General Na Wol-hwan (羅月煥), the Korean Youth Battlefield Service Corps moved from Chongqing to Xi’an. They negotiated military cooperation between Chinese and Korean forces with Hu Zongnan, who was then the Commander of the 1st Military Region. Meanwhile, those who remained in Chongqing were incorporated into the 4th Unit of the Central Wartime Cadre Training Corps (中央戰時幹部訓練團) under Hu’s command.
To further support the Korean independence movement, Hu Zongnan established the Korean Youth Training Unit (韓國靑年訓練班), also known as Han-gwang Ban (韓光班), within the 4th Training Unit. This special division was dedicated to training young Korean fighters, ultimately strengthening the KLA’s armed resistance efforts.
Yi Jae-hyeon (李在賢), a key independence activist, later recalled Hu Zongnan’s contributions, stating:
"The support we received from the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea was separate from military aid. Until the Korean Liberation Army was officially established, it was Hu Zongnan’s forces that provided us with assistance."
The Korean Youth Battlefield Service Corps was founded in 1938 to unite young anti-Japanese fighters in China. Initially based in Xi’an, it served as a precursor to the KLA. Prominent members included Na Wol-hwan, Kim Dong-su (金東洙), and Yi Jae-hyeon. Later, the corps was incorporated into the 5th Division of the Korean Liberation Army.
The South Korean government posthumously awarded Hu Zongnan the Order of Merit for National Foundation (Independence Medal) in 1999.