North Korean House of Cards

Pyongyang Anti-Aircraft Artillery Command. Located in Puksae-dong, Moranbong
District, Pyongyang, the corps-sized GC is equipped with tanks, artillery, and
missiles. It has several combat brigades stationed at the Kim family’s residences and
other critical facilities throughout the country.
Image 38: Guard Command Headquarters, Pyongyang
(Source: Google Earth as published on North Korea Leadership Watch)
i. Structure
Although formally subordinate to the MPAF, the GC reports directly to the
Supreme Leader in his capacity as head of the Party. 573 Its Commander, since 2004,
has been Colonel General Yun Jong-rin, who is a member of the Party Central
Committee and CMC. 574 His standing within the leadership has been a source of
speculation since he disappeared from the public eye between April and December
2014. When he returned, he had been demoted to a Colonel General. The other GC
officer frequently featured in North Korean media is Colonel General Kim Song-tok,
who is the GC’s Political Officer.
573 Security for Kim Jong-il was originally handled by the State Defense Department. However,
beginning in 1976, this activity was taken over by the General Guard Bureau.
574 Yun Jong-rin was promoted to general in April 2010 by Supreme Commander’s Order No. 0046.
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
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