North Korean Policy Elites - Defense Technical Information Center
North Korean Policy Elites - Defense Technical Information Center
North Korean Policy Elites - Defense Technical Information Center
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Table IV-2. Composition of the <strong>North</strong> <strong>Korean</strong> “Old Guard”<br />
Name Year of Birth Position<br />
Kim Yong Nam 39 1925 President of the SPA Presidium<br />
Cho Myong-rok 1924 Director of the KPA General Political Department<br />
Pak Song Chol 1913 Honorary Vice-President of the SPA Presidium<br />
Kim Yong-ju 1920 Honorary Vice-President of the SPA Presidium, Kim Il Sung’s<br />
younger brother<br />
Kim Yong-ch’un 1922 Chief of the KPA General Staff<br />
Han Song Ryong 1923 WPK Politburo Member<br />
Kye Ung Thae 1925 WPK Politburo Member<br />
Ri Yong-mu 1924 Vice-Chairman of the National <strong>Defense</strong> Commission<br />
Ri Ul-Sol (retired in 1920 Marshal, former Minister of State Security Agency<br />
2003)<br />
Paek Hak Rim<br />
1918 Vice-Marshal, former Minister of the People’s Security<br />
(retired in March<br />
2003)<br />
Kim Ch’ol-man<br />
(retired in 2003)<br />
1918 Full General, Former Chairman of the Second Economic<br />
Committee<br />
Yang Hyong-sop 1925 Vice-President of the SPA Presidium,<br />
Kim Il Sung’s relative<br />
Hong Sok-hyung 1924 SPA Presidium<br />
Kim Guk-tae 1924 WPK CC Secretary, Chief of the Cadres Department<br />
Kim Jung-rin 40 1924 WPK CC Secretary (Mass Organizations)<br />
Kim Yun-hyok 1926 Secretary-General of the SPA Presidium<br />
Although some representatives of the “old guard” still occupy important positions at the<br />
Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, the 11th SPA in general is a relatively middleaged,<br />
university-educated, civilian technocrat-dominated, and professionally oriented expertdriven<br />
institution comprising the <strong>North</strong> <strong>Korean</strong> intellectual elite, with little military<br />
representation, despite the era of Songun politics. As a matter of fact, on August 3, 2003, out of<br />
687 deputies, 340 deputies were elected for the first time, which means that 51% of the 10th SPA<br />
deputies were replaced with new people at the 11th SPA. Moreover, 52% of them are younger<br />
than the age of 50, including fourteen SPA deputies, probably some of the off-spring of the<br />
current DPRK leaders, who are younger than the age of 35. Such a drastic revamping and<br />
rejuvenation of the SPA deputy corps and top ranks of the Cabinet of Ministers led some<br />
observers to brand the newly elected and appointed third-generation leaders of the DPRK as the<br />
“2003 group.”<br />
39 Kim Yong Nam is said to be a rather cunning and cautious politician, who always hesitates to make principled<br />
decisions on his own. He is known to prefer to sit on the fence and wait until the dust settles before he makes his<br />
own moves.<br />
40 Kim Jung-rin is known to be a sullen and uncommunicative individual who chain smokes cigarettes and only<br />
listens to his counterpart, but rarely speaks.<br />
IV-34