Kim Un Hwan keenly experienced the grief at statelessness in his early years. After the liberation of Korea, he worked as a day laborer in Seoul and greatly admired the northern half of the Republic where a new life was blooming.

During the Fatherland Liberation War, he was a brave fighter in the volunteer army. In the post-war period he was arrested by enemy while struggling for national reunification. He fought for several decades in prison to preserve his revolutionary faith and obligation in the face of all sorts of torture, appeasement and blackmail by the enemy who failed to convert him.

Chairman Kim Jong Il made sure that the pro-reunification patriotic fighters lead a happy life after being repatriated to the DPRK.

Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, taking warm care of Kim Un Hwan and other pro-reunification patriotic fighters, saw to it that they took part as delegates in major national events such as the celebrations for the 100th birthday of President Kim Il Sung, the 4th National Conference of War Veterans and the 7th Conference of the Workers' Party Korea.