North Korean House of Cards

Image 10: General O Kuk-ryol with scientists in November 2013. (Photo: Nodong Sinmun)
The rise in O Kuk-ryol’s profile, which overlaps with the timeframe of Jang’s
downfall, may not be coincidental, as the two were rumored to be rivals. As the
patriarch of a powerful political family in North Korea, O Kuk-ryol was believed by
some Pyongyang-watchers to be a counterweight to Jang Song-taek. Their rivalry
apparently intensified after Jang became Vice Chairman of the NDC and began to
create a hard currency operation that rivaled the one controlled by O. 170 In the wake
of the Third Party Conference and the launch of the succession process, O faded
into the background as Jang’s profile began to rise. Therefore, it is not surprising that
this powerful individual would return to prominence to fill the political vacuum
created by the demise of his rival.
While the impact of Jang’s purge on the formal leadership was barely
perceptible and subject to interpretation, the informal networks of power were
more directly affected. North Korean media only mentioned the execution of two
members of Jang’s faction, Ri Yong-ha and Jang Su-gil. 171 International media
speculated on the purge of other individuals who had once been close to Kim
170 Lee Young-Jong, “O Kuk Ryol, Who Returned Around the Time of Jang Song Taek’s
Downfall,” op. cit. After entering the NDC as a Vice Chairman in 2009, O Kuk-ryol created an
organization in charge of many military hard currency operations, the Korea International Company,
which was ratified by the SPA. This apparently spurred Jang to launch the Korea Daepung Group in
January 2010 in order to keep O Kuk-ryol in check. Jang also allegedly planted the story in North
Korean media that the activities of the Daepung Group were based on orders directly from NDC
Chairman Kim Jong-il.
171 “North Korea’s Kim Jong-un Executes 1000 of Jang Song-taek’s Associates in 20 Days,” Free
North Korea Radio, January 3, 2014. According to defector reporting, Ri Myong-su, the former Minister
of People’s Security, may have also been executed. He was inexplicably replaced by Choe Pu-il in 2013. Ri
was rumored to be very close to Jang Song-taek and his older brother, Jang Song-u.
Ken E. Gause
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