North Korean House of Cards

In April 2012, the regime made a number of personnel appointments at the
Fourth Party Conference and the Fifth Session of the 12th SPA. Jang Song-taek
was elevated to full Politburo member status. Jo Yon-jun, First Vice Director of the
KWP OGD, was appointed an alternate member of the Politburo. Kim Won-hong
was appointed as the Director of the SSD, the first publicly identified director since
the death of Ri Chin-su in the early 1980s. Kim was also appointed a full member
of the Politburo, a member of the CMC, and a member of the NDC. Kim replaced
U Tong-chuk, who was removed from the NDC. 512 Ri Myong-su was also appointed
as a member of the Politburo, CMC, and NDC, replacing Chu Sang-song in the
NDC. Ri Pyong-sam, the Director of the KPISF Political Bureau, was made an
alternate member of the Politburo. Finally, the successor to Kim Won-hong as head of
the MSC was not made public. According to South Korean reports, Jo Kyong-chol
assumed that position.
Days after these meetings, a surprising rumor emerged in the South Korean
press claiming that Jang Song-taek had taken control of the GC. This claim was based
on the fact that Jang had appeared wearing a military uniform of the GC in the days
after Kim Jong-il’s death. 513 The report went further to suggest that Yun Jong-rin had
been relieved of his command and replaced with an unnamed Jang protégé. The fact
that Yun remained out of sight for two months lent some credence to this report.
However, Yun reappeared on the leadership rostrum in June 2012, 514 thus putting an
end to speculation that Kim Jong-un had turned over responsibility for his personal
safety to his uncle.
In January 2013, Ri Myong-su disappeared from sight. Three months
later, at the Central Committee Plenum, North Korean media announced that he
had been replaced by Choe Pu-il, 515 a First Vice Chief of the GSD. Choe, who is
512 “N. Korea Purged Senior Intelligence Official: source,” Yonhap News Agency, April 17, 2012.
Some South Korean reports suggested that U Tong-chuk might have been purged or suffered a stroke.
513 Lee Yong-Su, “Exclusive: Jang Song-taek Gains Control of Kim Jong-un Guard Unit,” The
Chosun Ilbo, April 30, 2012.
514 “Central report meeting held to commemorate the 48th anniversary of Kim Jong-il starting
work at the Party Central Committee,” KCTV, June 18, 2012.
515 Indications are that Choe assumed the position as early as February 2013. On the anniversary
of Kim Jong-il’s birth (February 16), Kim Jong-un visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun with key members
of his security apparatus. It was yet another opportunity for the Pyongyang-watching community to
confirm the members of the Praetorian Guard. In addition to Jang Song-taek and Kim Kyong-hui, the
delegation included (in order of mention): Kim Won-hong (SSD), Kim Kyong-ok (OGD), Yun Jong-rin
(GC), Choe Pu-il (MPS), and Jo Kyong-chol (MSC). Ri Myong-su last appeared in state media as MPS
on January 5, 2013, when Pyongyang radio reported his attendance at an intra-ministry meeting to
implement the tasks outlined in Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s address.
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