North Korean House of Cards

Reportedly including between twenty and thirty people on average, and sometimes
restricted to fewer than ten, these meetings appear to serve two functions. First,
they give Kim Jong-un situational awareness on issues of importance across the
regime. He has a chance to discuss policy with the individuals directly responsible
for policy execution. Second, the meetings allow Kim to develop the face-to-face
relationships that will be critical to consolidating power. Before each meeting, the
agenda is set by Kim’s Personal Secretariat in consultation with his closest advisors.
Before his aunt’s illness and his uncle’s execution, this meeting most likely
included Kim Kyong-hui, Jang Song-taek, and Choe Yong-rim or Pak Pong-ju. A
combination of these individuals would meet with Kim Jong-un to discuss issues
and decide the agenda. The Personal Secretariat then circulated the agenda to the
participants. After each meeting, there would be a dinner that allowed for a more
relaxed setting for continued conversation and relationship building. 294 It should
be stressed that these were not decision-making meetings and Kim Jong-un made
decisions outside of this context. 295
The Tuesday meetings focus on domestic and social issues. Choe Yong-rim
was early on responsible for organizing these meetings in consultation with Kim
Jong-un’s Personal Secretariat. This role presumably moved to Pak Pong-ju when he
became Premier in 2013. Both Choe and Pak have carried out ongoing inspections of
entities in the economic sector. The Premier now appears to be actively engaged in
information gathering for the leadership and, as such, would be one of the Supreme
Leader’s closest advisors on domestic matters. This was unheard of in the Kim
Jong-il era. Presumably, the Tuesday meetings include individuals with relevant and
critical portfolios inside the Party and government. From the Party, regular invitees
likely include: the KWP Secretaries for Light Industry, Education, Pyongyang
Affairs, Propaganda and Agitation, General Affairs, Personnel, and Finance, as well
as relevant KWP department directors and provincial secretaries. From the Cabinet
and wider government, regular invitees likely include: the Premier, vice premiers,
relevant ministers, relevant members of the SPA leadership, and the head of the State
Planning Commission (SPC). 296
of Kim Jong-il’s decision-making process before his stroke, when he held large, regime-wide meetings
on Thursdays. These meetings dealt with issues across the policy spectrum. They were followed up by
Saturday evening drinking parties at one of Kim’s residences, where discussions critical to decisionmaking
were held.
294 Author’s interviews in Seoul, April 2013. Allegedly, the Friday dinner parties include participants
from both the Tuesday and Friday meetings.
295 Ibid.
296 Ibid.
Ken E. Gause
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