North Korean House of Cards

Image 14: An enlarged meeting of the KWP CMC, which reportedly took place in February 2013.
(Source: KCNA)
During the period of rising tensions and shortly after U.S. B-52s sortied over
South Korea, Nodong Sinmun revealed a series of photographs on March 29, 2013
of Kim Jong-un receiving a military briefing from Kim Rak-gyom, Commander of
the SRF; Ri Yong-gil, Director of the GSD Operations Bureau; 291 Hyon Yong-chol,
Chief of the GSD; and Kim Yong-chol, Director of the RGB. According to the
report, Marshal Kim Jong-un, in his capacity as Supreme Commander, convened
the operational meeting in the early morning hours at the Supreme Command
headquarters “to discuss the KPA Strategic Rocket Force’s performance of duty for
firepower strike.” After receiving a report from Lieutenant General Kim Rak-gyom
on the technical conditions of the strategic strike capabilities of the KPA, the
report noted Kim Jong-un “made an important decision…[and] signed the plan
on technical preparations of strategic rockets of the KPA, ordering them to be on
standby for fire so that they may strike any time the U.S. mainland, its military
bases in the operational theaters in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam, and
those in South Korea.” 292 This was a not-so-subtle effort to portray Kim Jong-un as a
military leader and decision-maker. Surrounding him and his advisors were maps
showing the SRF’s “Plan for Striking the U.S. Mainland and an Order of Battle
of North Korean Forces.” This came days after Kim had issued an order through the
Supreme Command to place the armed forces on “Combat Duty Posture 1,” the
highest level of readiness. North Korean media had not shown the Supreme Leader
in such a martial setting since the days of Kim Il-sung.
291 Nodong Sinmun, March 29, 2013. It was this report that revealed Ri Yong-gil’s new position as
Director of the GSD Operations Bureau.
292 Nodong Sinmun, March 29, 2013.
Ken E. Gause
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