North Korean House of Cards

The Friday meetings focus on military and security matters, as well as
particularly sensitive foreign policy issues, such as inter-Korean relations and North
Korea’s ties with China and the United States. Kim Kyong-hui, in her role as
guarantor of the Kim family equities, was responsible for organizing these meetings.
She also reportedly took the lead in preparing her nephew in a private meeting
beforehand that possibly included Jang Song-taek and Kim Kyok-sik. Presumably,
the Friday meetings include top officials from the CMC, NDC, and Cabinet. Friday
meetings, more so than the Tuesday meetings, also likely take place in a much
smaller setting, depending on the sensitivity of the issues being discussed. The
January 25, 2013 “national security council” meeting suggested that this may not
have been an uncommon occurrence. 297
Image 17: Kim Jong-un receives a briefing at a defense industry consultative meeting.
(Source: KCTV)
While Jang Song-taek may have been involved in the preparatory meetings
before the Tuesday, and possibly the Friday, meetings, defector sources agree that he
was not actually part of either meeting. 298 This would suggest that Kim Jong-un used
297 Ibid. See also Cheong Seong-Chang, “Process for Policymaking Regarding National Security,”
op. cit. According to one source, this National Security Council meeting was similar to the Tuesday and
Friday meetings, but was probably convened for a special reason. It reportedly took place around midnight.
298 “North Korea Embarks on Full-Scale Economic Development with the State Economic Development
Committee (Headed by Jang Song-taek) Taking the Lead,” NK Intellectuals Solidarity, October
31, 2013. A meeting of Party, Cabinet, and senior local officials in the economic sector was reportedly
held behind closed doors on Tuesday, October 8, 2013. It was attended by Kim Jong-un. The meeting
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
140