North Korean House of Cards

2009 from Chief of the GSD to Commander of the Fourth Corps, one month after
Kim Jong-un was announced as heir apparent within the North Korean leadership.
Nevertheless, Kim Kyok-sik oversaw the operations tied to the heir apparent’s rise
to power. From his position as Commander of the Western Front, Kim Kyok-sik
may have played a role in both the sinking of the Cheonan and the shelling of
Yeonpyeong Island. The first event was critical to the succession and the second was
designed to bolster Kim Jong-un’s credentials as a military leader. 37 Between these
two events, he was made an alternate member of the KWP Central Committee at
the Third Party Conference in September 2010. In November 2011, he returned
to the GSD as Vice Chief. According to defector sources, following Kim Jong-il’s
death, he also moved into Kim Jong-un’s Personal Secretariat as a military advisor, a
position he held until taking over the MPAF. 38 At the Central Committee Plenum
and SPA in 2013, he was made an alternate member of the Politburo and a member
of the NDC.
As noted above, the reshuffle extended beyond the military leadership
to include senior officers responsible for internal security. Kim Won-hong’s rise
through the ranks began shortly after Kim Jong-un’s designation as heir apparent.
In February 2009, Kim Won-hong, the previous Commander of the Military
Security Command (MSC), became the Director of the Organization Bureau of
the KPA General Political Department (GPD) as part of Kim Jong-il’s plan to build
support for his successor within the military elites. At the Third Party Conference,
he was appointed to the KWP CMC. On the eve of the Fourth Party Conference,
Kim Won-hong was identified as the Director of State Security (Minister of
State Security). 39 At this Party Conference and the subsequent SPA meeting, Kim
Won-hong became a full member of the Politburo and a member of the NDC. 40
In 2013, appointments to the military and security leadership took an
unexpected and complicated turn. Officers who had just emerged in key positions in
2012 were replaced. Kim Jong-un and his regents reorganized the military leadership,
bringing a mix of trusted officers and a new generation to the forefront of the high
37 While it was the prevailing view among Pyongyang-watchers that Kim Kyok-sik had
knowledge of the operational planning regarding the sinking of the Cheonan, there is little evidence
to suggest that he had direct operational involvement. At most, he was aware of the operation in
order to respond to any South Korean retaliation. The operation itself was most likely overseen by the
Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB).
38 Author’s interview in Seoul, April 2013.
39 Kim Won-hong’s appointment as head of the SSD was significant because North Korean
media had previously avoided publicly identifying the official in charge of the secret police.
40 Author’s interviews in Seoul, 2012 and 2013. According to some sources, Kim Won-hong’s
exponential rise is due to the influence of Kim Kyong-hui, not Kim Jong-un. His role within the internal
security apparatus suggests Jang Song-taek’s influence as well.
Committee for Human Rights in North Korea
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