Ham was born into a poor peasant family in Ongjin County, South Hwanghae Province, on Jan. 18, 1932.

After the liberation of Korea he energetically waged underground and guerrilla struggles against the U.S. imperialists' occupation of south Korea and the unpopular moves of their puppet clique.

He was arrested just before the victory of the Fatherland Liberation War. He continued the struggle not yielding to the brutal tortures, appeasement and deception of the fascist hangmen for 34 years behind bars.

Since his release from prison he devoted all his energies to the reunification movement along with south Korean progressive organisations.

General Secretary Kim Jong Il put him forward as a Hero of the DPRK and winner of the National Reunification Prize and showed loving care for Ham so that the older he got, the more vigorous he became.