North Korean House of Cards

According to South Korean sources, he became one of Kim Jong-un’s mentors soon
after his designation as heir apparent in 2009. 508
As for the MSC, its profile continued to grow. Kim Won-hong was increasingly
seen on guidance inspections and in the presence of Kim Jong-un. While the
link between the heir apparent and the MSC was not made public and was not even
the subject of speculation, the fact that the regime was increasingly tying the Party
Center, Kim Jong-un, with “Military First” (Songun) politics suggested that the MSC
would likely continue its vaunted status within the security apparatus.
Rumors and speculation regarding the KWP OGD and the GC were generally
lacking in 2011. However, there were reports of GC tank movements as part of
an exercise in the Taedong River area of eastern Pyongyang in February 2011. 509
The next month, additional reporting described an additional fifty GC tanks being
deployed to the Pyongyang area in response to the Jasmine Revolution in North
Africa and the Middle East. 510 Finally, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un apparently paid
a visit to Unit 985 of the GC in the immediate aftermath of Muammar Qaddafi’s
death. 511 All three of these events suggest that while the GC did not suffer the
turnover that impacted other parts of the internal security apparatus, its loyalty and
operational status were not far from the Supreme Leader’s thoughts.
b. Early Kim Jong-un Era
In the early days of the Kim Jong-un era, the Praetorian Guard was on
prominent display. On the Funeral Committee, several members of the internal
security apparatus were listed among the first 125 members of a 232-member list.
508 An Yong-Hyeon, “Kim Jong-il’s Son Effectively Controls Security Forces,” The Chosun Ilbo,
April 13, 2011. According to this source, Kim Jong-un was groomed as the successor in the NDC
Administrative Bureau.
509 Yun Il-Geon, “Tanks Ready to be Used Against Uprising in Pyongyang,” The Chosun Ilbo,
February 16, 2011.
510 An Yong-Hyeon, “More Tanks in the Streets of Pyongyang,” The Chosun Ilbo, March 7, 2011.
511 Cho Sung-Ho, “NK Leader Rushes to Defense Command After Gadhafi’s Death,” Dong-A
Ilbo, October 26, 2011.
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