North Korean Policy Elites - Defense Technical Information Center

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een severely curtailed. 16 Kim Chong-il relies on carefully placed lieutenants within the second echelon as his key sources of information and power management. Therefore, influence is measured not so much by access (few have it), but by being a source who receives direct instructions from Kim Chong-il. As the Kim Chong-il regime has reformulated the lines of power, those receiving instructions have tended to be pushed further down into the apparatus, mainly at the deputy director/commander level. In order to understand where true power lies in the system, one should look not at the formal institutions, but at the patronage system within the institutions. By virtue of Kim Chongil’s patronage system, the role of the first vice director is critical. 17 According to numerous defector accounts, the four most powerful men in North Korea are the first vice directors of the Organization Guidance Department: Yom Ki-sun (in charge of Party Central Committee), Yi Yong-ch’ol (military), Chang Song-t’aek (administration), and Yi Che-kang (personnel management). Other Central Committee first vice directors, include Choi Chun-hwang (Department of Propaganda and Agitation), Yim Tong-ok (Reunification Propaganda Department) and Chu Kyu-ch’ang (Munitions Manufacturing Department). Within the military, the same type of patronage system exists, as can be seen in the examples of Gen. Pak Chaekyong and Gen. Yi Myong-su. Both reside within the second echelon of the military leadership and appear to have been tapped by Kim as sources of information and intelligence. Pak Chaekyong is a vice director of the General Political Bureau and oversees propaganda ideological training for the KPA. Yi Myong-su (63) is the director of the General Staff’s Operations Bureau, 18 which is responsible for all operational aspects of the KPA, including the general operational planning for the Air Force, Navy, Workers’-Peasants’ Red Guard, and Paramilitary Training units. 19 A close associate of Chang Song-u, Yi has a direct channel to Kim Chong-il. 20 In cases of emergency, Kim can by-pass the chain of command and communicate directly with the Operations Bureau. 16 Party secretaries now mainly report directly to Kim Chong-il’s personal secretariat. Chung Ha-chul (Secretary, Propaganda) is believed to still carry influence within the Secretariat. Kim’s key supporters in the early part of his reign, including Kye Ung-tae (Secretary, Public Security), Choi Tae-bok (Secretary, Science Education), are believed to be declining in influence. 17 Kim Kwang-in, “Change of Kim’s Associates,” http://nkchosun.com, December 31, 2003. 18 Yi Myong-su took over from Kim Myung-kuk, who moved over to become commander of the 108 th Mechanized Army. He was an influential figure in the early years of Kim Chong-il’s reign. 19 Joseph Bermudez, The Armed Forces of North Korea. (London: I.B. Tauris & Co., Ltd., 2001), p. 40. It is also rumored that the Operations Bureau may serve as an information facilitating body for NDC directives to the KPA, a relationship similar to the one that existed between the Soviet General Staff’s Operation Directorate and the Defense Council. 20 Yi’s relationship with Chang dates back to at least the early 1990s when Yi was commander of the 5 th Corps. II-18
Table II-6. Kim Chong-il’s Principal Supporters Name First Echelon Supporters 21 Kim Yong-nam Kye Ung-tae Chon Pyong-ho Han Song-yong Kim Kyong-hui Kim Yong-woo VM Kim Yong-chun Politburo Member Politburo Member Politburo Member Politburo Member Position Director, KWP Light Industry Department Chairman, Economic Cooperation Committee Chief of General Staff V. Mar. Cho Myong-nok Director, General Political Bureau Gen. Won Ung-hui Mar. Yi Ul-sol Second Echelon Supporters Chang Song-taek Yi Yong-chol Yom Ki-sum Yi Chi-kang Mun Myong-on Yim Tong-ok Chu Kyu-chang Kang Sok-chu Gen. Yi Myong-su Gen. Pak Chae-kyong Gen. Hyon Chol-hae VM Chang Song-u Yi Nun-sil Lt. Gen. Chang Song-kil Commander, Security Command Commander, Guard Command 1st Vice Director, OGD 1st Vice Director, OGD (Military Affairs), Member, KWP CMC 1st Vice Director, OGD 1st Vice Director, OGD 1st Vice Director, OGD 1st Vice Director, Reunification Department 1st Vice Director, Munitions Department 1 st Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Director, General Staff Operations Bureau Deputy Director, GPB Propaganda Bureau Deputy Director, GPB Organization Bureau (oversees military personnel affairs) Commander, Third Corps Vice Commander, Guard Bureau Political Committee Member, 820 th Tank Corps. Reported links to KPA intelligence. As in all totalitarian regimes, power can be understood as a series of concentric circles surrounding the pre-eminent leader. 22 The above discussion referenced the outer circles of power. The innermost circle includes those in closest proximity to Kim Chong-il: members of his 21 In this chart, “echelon” refers to the formal position of the person in the apparatus. Those in the first echelon are either in decision-making positions or control specific bureaucracies. Those in the second echelon are key players within specific institutions. 22 The concept of concentric circles as a way of understanding totalitarian regimes is not new, but was developed in the 1930s as a way of explaining the Nazi and Stalinist regimes. The concentric circles refer to the tiers within the leadership based on access to the pre-eminent leader. Those within the inner circle enjoy the greatest access, trust, and access to information. Those in the second tier are normally associated with security functions and portfolios. Those in the third tier are also associated with security functions, but not necessarily part of the Praetorian Guard. Family relationships and patronage systems cut across all the circles. II-19
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INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE ANALYSES Nort
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INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE ANALYSES IDA
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CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY & INTROD
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To write accurately about North Kor
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technocrats, provincial and county
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PREFACE This paper will examine in
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ABBREVIATIONS AGI CCSKA COMSEC DoD
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information streams, and from him t
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within the hands of a few individua
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and whether or not he will embarras
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to the lowest-levels of the KPA. As
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strengthening of all armed forces,
Page 34 and 35: esearch institutes and “think tan
Page 36 and 37: The primary missions of the Reconna
Page 38 and 39: communication that generally fall o
Page 40 and 41: of the State Security Department or
Page 42 and 43: maintaining strict control over the
Page 44 and 45: agencies in the ROK and Japan began
Page 46 and 47: The Guard and Security Commands, wh
Page 48 and 49: eports that are funneled up through
Page 50 and 51: Complicating the entire “Kim-cent
Page 52 and 53: Within the military, this dynamic c
Page 54 and 55: him that all significant orders and
Page 56 and 57: Until the 1990s, the electronic med
Page 59: II. THE NORTH KOREAN LEADERSHIP: SY
Page 62 and 63: TABLES 1. Key Family Members in the
Page 64 and 65: The factional struggles in North Ko
Page 67 and 68: A. INTRODUCTION By definition, a to
Page 69 and 70: C. THE TECHNOLOGY OF POWER A Party
Page 71 and 72: document control bureaus in each mi
Page 73 and 74: Originally implemented in 1994 and
Page 75 and 76: Table II-1. Key Family Members in t
Page 77 and 78: of associates who trace their relat
Page 79 and 80: September 9, 2003, showed a change
Page 81 and 82: Chart II-2: Secretariat 5. Kye Ung-
Page 83: Members 1. Yi Ul-sul 4. Yi Yong-mu
Page 87 and 88: Table II-7. Kim Chong-il’s Person
Page 89 and 90: chance to unfold. In terms of syste
Page 91 and 92: domestic policy arena, the split is
Page 93 and 94: At the second echelon of power, Kim
Page 95 and 96: D. FLOW OF INFORMATION George Kenna
Page 97 and 98: about things that affect their care
Page 99 and 100: (ID) and External Liaison (ELD) dep
Page 101 and 102: For the rest of the North Korean le
Page 103 and 104: the focus for not only a significan
Page 105 and 106: At the 11 th Supreme People’s Ass
Page 107 and 108: There is little doubt that one of t
Page 109 and 110: decision-making process. Moreover,
Page 111: III. THE WELL-INFORMED CADRE RALPH
Page 115 and 116: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DEFINITIONS AND A
Page 117: greater access to first-hand inform
Page 120 and 121: The first question addressed by thi
Page 122 and 123: But this lack of enthusiasm is prob
Page 124 and 125: as the 1950s. 16 The security organ
Page 126 and 127: Another way to look at divisions wi
Page 128 and 129: Because the Kim regime governs acco
Page 130 and 131: guess is that anyone who rises in t
Page 132 and 133: But even though the media serve as
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Newspapers The DPRK’s premier new
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motivation in its readers through m
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Page 2: • Kim Jong-suk’s develo
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This selection of news items presen
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in the wake of the U.S. propaganda
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the general audience in a two-step
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also countries surrounding the Kore
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that the war in Iraq was “a test
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and transform us internally through
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eceived with little thought and has
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outside world than the ordinary wor
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cognitive dissonance, particular ca
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IV. INSIDE NORTH KOREA’S BLACK BO
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The North Korean
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A. BETTER, MERRIER, MORE HOPEFUL LI
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In contrast, the optimists believe
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to the throne. The State Council us
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1976-1977, 4 and in 1986-1987 (see
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Bulgarian Trade Unions, after which
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Second, the principal objective of
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southward expansion, and, last but
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controlling some of North Korea’s
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also against the second-tier family
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Kim Sung-ae, who is Kim Il Sung’s
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“National Security Establishment
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October 1980. Many of them (Yon Hyo
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severe draught in 1988 and the dram
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The advent of the “Songun Era”
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IV-30
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Bearing in mind Kim Jong Il’s rec
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Table IV-2. Composition of the Nort
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Cabinet Posts 10 th SPA 11 th SPA R
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Eastern Europe. That was reportedly
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Table IV-5. Leading Ideologues Insi
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Table IV-7. Regional Origins of Top
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“Foreign Wind” The “foreign w
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Table IV-10. Some of the Most Influ
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Table IV-11. The North-South “Han
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Song Sok Hwan Vice-Minister Cha Sun
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Table IV-13. Korean-American “Int
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content and government monitoring.
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Northern security, military, and pa
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APPENDIX B TONGIL STREET FREE MARKE
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V. REACHING INTO NORTH KOREA DAVID
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY North Korea is no
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message right to Kim Jong-il, and m
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isk escape from the hermit kingdom.
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Society is divided into three broad
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contradictions.” 17 This makes se
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Internet is not specifically mentio
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led to a training program for young
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North Korea’s exports from legiti
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een the biggest buyers of ivory ove
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worker who travels throughout North
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If we want to reach into North Kore
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conversations with the correct mix
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Although the future of cellular tel
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There are a host of other things on
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Each of the five papers in this col
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promotions) and punishments (e.g.,
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although presumably all calls are m
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cultural rules.” Given the “str
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Speaking of Kim, whom does he consu
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Terms of Reference: North Korean Po
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Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. is an intern
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APPENDIX C ASIAN VIEWS OF NORTH KOR
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In any case, the reforms provide a
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View from Seoul The single most imp
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Form Approved REPORT DOCUMENTATION
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