He became involved in the power struggle that enveloped North Korea in the months following the Japanese surrender after World War II. Originally Cho was supported by the Soviet Union for the eventual rule of North Korea. However, due to his opposition to trusteeship, Cho lost Soviet support and was forced from power by the Soviet-backed communists in the north.[1] Placed under house arrest in January 1946, he later disappeared, and is generally believed to have been executed in the North Korean prison system soon after the start of the Korean War.