North Korean House of Cards

Name Position(s) Comments
General Pak
Yong-sik
• Minister of
People’s Armed
Forces (since
2015)
A former vice director of the GPB, Pak
Yong-sik replaced Hyon Yong-chol as the
Minister of People’s Armed Forces in June
2015. Although he is a ranking member
of the high command, General Pak’s ties
to and communication channel with Kim
Jong-un are unknown. North Korea’s elevated
media handling of Pak Yong-sik since
his appointment as Minister of the People’s
Armed Forces suggests he is second in the
regime’s military ranking behind VMAR
Hwang Pyong-so. This was reflected in his
position on the leadership rostrum during
the 70th anniversary celebration of the
founding of the Party.
Colonel
General Ro
Kwang-chol
Vice Admiral
Ri Yong-chu
• First Vice
Minister of the
People’s Armed
Forces
• Commander of
the KPA Navy
(since 2015)
Ranked 58th on the Jon Pyong-ho
Funeral Committee list, Ro Kwang-chol
began to attend guidance inspections with
Kim Jong-un in 2015 and has been a part
of several North Korean delegations in
military-to-military talks with other countries.
Whether he has achieved unfettered
access to the Supreme Leader or must
still go through the chain of command is
currently unclear.
A former vice chief of the GSD, Ri Yongchu
has been a frequent cohort on Kim
Jong-un’s guidance inspections of military
installations in 2015. He was ranked 61st
on Jon Pyong-ho’s Funeral Committee list.
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
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