North Korean House of Cards

Name Position Comments
Lieutenant
General So
Tae-ha
Kim
Myong-chol
Kang Songnam
Party
Han Kwangbok
(69)
Counselor for Security,
NDC and Vice
Director, SSD
• Heads the SIC into Japanese residing
in North Korea 221
• According to South Korean sources,
So is close to Kim Jong-un
• He was promoted to lieutenant general
in April 2015
Counselor, SSD • Vice Chairman of the SIC into Japanese
residing in North Korea
• Ties to Kim Jong-un are unclear
Bureau Director,
SSD
Director, KWP Science
and Education
Department
• Chief of the Panel for the Victims of
Abduction for the SIC into Japanese
residing in North Korea
• Ties to Kim Jong-un are unclear
• Has steadily risen through the leadership
ranks.
• She was ranked 36th on Kim Jong-il’s
Funeral Committee list, 32nd on Kim
Kuk-tae’s Funeral Committee list, and
25th on Chon Pyong-ho’s Funeral
Committee list
• Assumed current post in 2014
221 “Late DPRK Leader’s Ex-Chef on Abduction Probe Committee Chairman,” Fuji Television,
August 6, 2014. According to Kim Jong-il’s former chef, Kenji Fujimoto, he saw So for the first time at
a Party in 1995 that Kim hosted to entertain North Korean senior officials. In a television interview, Fujimoto
noted that “Kim called some officials, including So to the Party room, and So poured some wine
in Kim’s glass and toasted with Kim.” A co-worker told Fujimoto that So was highly “capable” and would
likely be promoted.
Ken E. Gause
105