North Korean House of Cards

Name Position Comments
Jo Thae-san
Kim Tong-il
Hong Sungmu
Maeng
Kyong-il
KWP Department
Vice Director
Department Vice
Director, KWP
Working Organization
Department
Vice Director, KWP
MID
Vice Director, KWP
UFD
• Began appearing with Kim Jongun
during guidance inspections in
February 2015
• Coverage of him in the North Korean
media suggests he might be with the
KWP PAD
• Appointed an alternate member of
the Central Committee in September
2010 at the Third Party Conference
• Member of Kim Jong-il’s
Funeral Committee
• Member of the SPCSGC
• Began accompanying Kim Jong-un on
guidance inspections in April 2013
• From the production and manufacturing
side of the country’s military and
munitions industries 226
• Appeared at Kim Jong-un’s meeting
on January 25, 2013 with security and
foreign affairs officials, days before the
third nuclear test
• Ranked 126th on Kim Jong-il’s Funeral
Committee list
• Began accompanying Kim Jong-un on
guidance inspections in January 2013
• Ranked 40th on Jon Pyong-ho’s
Funeral Committee list
• Maeng is a former councilor of the
Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee
• North Korean representative to the
16th North-South ministerial-level
talks in 2005
226 Michael Madden, “Biographies: Hong Sung-mu,” North Korea Leadership Watch, February 3,
2013. This is in contrast to his immediate superior, Ju Kyu-chang, who comes from research and development.
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
108