Meritorious Service Record

Following the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Ma Shuli served as a special advisor to General Gu Zhutong (顧祝同), the commander of the Chinese Central Army’s 3rd Military Region. In this role, he was responsible for counterintelligence operations and actively supported Korean independence activists while working to establish a Sino-Korean united front.
In 1938, he became the head of the Third Section of the Political Department within the 3rd Military Region Command, where he oversaw enemy propaganda, intelligence gathering, and prisoner interrogations. He also published Frontline Daily (前線日報), which advocated for Chinese military and civilian support for the Korean independence movement. Additionally, he conducted propaganda activities targeting Koreans within Japanese-occupied territories.
By 1939, he had assumed the additional role of director of the 3rd Military Region Mobile Broadcasting Bureau, further strengthening efforts to support the Korean independence movement and fostering anti-Japanese sentiments. In 1941, when the Korean Liberation Army’s Third Recruitment Directorate (第三徵募分處) was established, he facilitated the use of a private building in Wang Jiayuan (汪家園), Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, for its operations. He also provided equipment and resources to ensure the smooth establishment of the recruitment office. As a result of this support, the Korean Liberation Army was able to operate under the official banners of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea’s Korean Liberation Army Recruitment Office Third Branch and the Korean Independence Party Korean Liberation Army 8th Branch Special Committee.
In 1944, when the U.S. Air Force sought to establish secret communications with American prisoners of war held in Japanese-occupied territory, Ma Shuli played a key role in coordinating between U.S. forces and the Korean Liberation Army.
Until Korea’s liberation in 1945, he continued anti-Japanese intelligence operations across Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou. He also collaborated closely with the Korean Liberation Army on espionage and intelligence missions.
The South Korean government posthumously awarded him the Order of Merit for National Foundation (Independence Medal) in 1968.