North Korean House of Cards

Name Relation Comments
Cha Cholma
Son-in-law of late
KWP OGD First
Vice Director Ri
Je-gang
D. SECTION ONE CONCLUSION
• Rumored to be one of the richest men
in North Korea
• Serves in a top position at the Mansudae
Assembly Hall, the seat of the SPA
• Reportedly oversees a number of foreign
currency earning businesses run
by the SPA’s standing committees 244
• Reportedly the Director of the
Mansudae Company
Over the course of 2014 and 2015, the North Korean leadership has begun
to change to reflect the preferences of Kim Jong-un and his ongoing strategy to
consolidate power. The regent structure has evaporated, leaving Kim surrounded
by a group of key advisors and continuously evolving channels into the second,
third, and fourth echelons of power. While he has made swift strides in building
a network within the high command that includes a number of two-, three-, and
four-star generals, the power and influence around him appears to come through
Party channels. Within these Party channels, figures such as Hwang Pyong-so and
members of the old guard, including Choe Ryong-hae and Choe Tae-bok, continue
to play an important institutional role. Technocrats within the Cabinet, such as
Premier Pak Pong-ju, have access to the Supreme Leader, but their influence is unclear.
In terms of stability, the regime does not show any overt signs of weakness
within the leadership, although rumors of power struggles and competition for resources
persist. Contrary to much speculation, recent SPA meetings have not revealed a
major revamping of the senior leadership. However, the extent of the Party reshuffles
since 2014 remain obscured because North Korean media has yet to publish the
full results of administrative decisions made by Politburo and CMC meetings. Both
Kim Yong-nam, the 87-year old Chairman of the SPA Presidium, and Premier
Pak Pong-ju have retained their posts despite widespread rumors from time to time
that they would be replaced. This suggests that while Kim is willing to reorient the
informal power structure, he values continuity within the formal ranks of power, most
likely as a show of stability. One South Korean analyst noted:
244 “One of NK’s richest men said to serve in assembly hall,” Yonhap News Agency, February 19, 2012.
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
116