North Korean Policy Elites - Defense Technical Information Center

subject headings, including South Korean affairs, the world situation, and science/technology.
These are composed of unclassified material, similar to China’s “Red TASS” and the former
Soviet Union’s “White TASS.” These materials are disseminated twice a day to vice directors /
ministers and above. 71 In departments / ministries with an international portfolio (i.e., the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Foreign Trade), this information may be pushed
further down in the apparatus. The Reference Paper contains much of the information contained
in Reference News, minus some of the more sensitive stories. It is distributed to the middle levels
in KWP and Cabinet, directors in institutions and organizations, and presidents of companies.
Despite the restrictions placed on dissemination of foreign information within the North
Korean elite, many members of this privileged class have some understanding of the outside
world based on personal experience. As can be seen from Table 10, many members of the North
Korean elite have ventured beyond the borders of North Korea, be it through education or career.
Much of that experience at the senior echelons of the party was achieved in early life and for the
most part in patron countries friendly to North Korea, such as the Soviet Union or China.
The Leadership’s Access to Foreign Expertise within the Regime
Select senior officials are informed about the outside world. In addition to those in the
diplomatic and intelligence communities, there are cadre attached to semi-official organizations,
such as the Asia Pacific Peace Committee, who regularly engage the international community.
These officials, however, are carefully watched and their ability to establish significant ties with
both foreigners and other members of the North Korean leadership is restricted. In many cases,
this isolation is self-imposed to guard against the possibility of being accused by political
opponents of colluding with foreign interests.
Following the death of Kim Il-sung, Kim Yong-nam was removed as Minister of Foreign
Affairs in 1998 and gradually ceded his roles in diplomacy to the late Kim Yong-sun and the
vice ministers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Over the last few years, this group of diplomats
has become the center of expertise on the outside world. A rising star within this community is
Kang Sok-chu, the First Vice Foreign Minister. He began his career in the KWP International
Department and shifted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the mid-1980s when the center of
foreign policy was shifted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is rumored to have close
contacts with Kim Chong-il. 72 Since the death of his patron, Kim Yong-sun, Kang has become
71 According to some sources, many senior North Korean leaders allow their staffs to read the material and underline
the critical parts for their attention. Discussion with Kim Kwang-in, December 2003.
72 Kang is rumored to be a former member of Kim Chong-il’s “Three Revolutions Teams.” A sign of Kang’s
growing influence was revealed in October 2003 when he attended talks between Kim Chong-il and China’s Wu
Bangguo. Tokyo Kyodo Clue II (Internet Version) in Japanese (November 4, 2003).
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