North Korean House of Cards

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Director of the GSD’s Operations Bureau; So Hong-chan, First Vice Minister of the People’s Armed Forces; Lieutenant General Kim Su-gil; and Major General Ryom Chol-song. 175 Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae was noticeably standing to Kim 176, 177 Jong-un’s immediate left. Below is a chart of leadership connections within the regime at the end of 2013. The solid lines represent direct connections to Kim Jong-un, while the dotted lines represent more indirect connections. KWP State Military Choe Tae-bok Kim Pyong-hae Kim Ki-nam Kim Yong-nam Pak Pong-ju Kang Sok-ju Choe Yong-rim Ri Yong-gil Pyon In-son Jang Jong-nam Pak To-chun Kim Yong-il Kim Yang-gon Kim Yong-chol Kim Kyok-sik Kwak Pom-gi Mun Kyong-tok O Il-jong ? Choe Ryong-hae Old Guard Kim Kyong-hui Kim Jong-un Kim Won-hong O Kuk-ryol Kim Yong-chun Ri Yong-mu New Guard/ KJU Cohort Security KWP OGD Personal Secretariat Kim Family ? Choe Pu-il Kim Chang-sop Kim Kyong-ok Jo Yon-jun Min Byong-chol Kim Sol-song Kim Yo-jong Kim Jong-chul Ri Pyong-sam Yun Jong-rin According to a South Korean intelligence report, Kim had begun a generational shift across the board, replacing many older figures with relatively younger 175 Lee Young-Jong, “Report Details North Korea’s Rising, Falling ‘Stars,’” Korea JoongAng Daily, December 19, 2013. These officers are part of a cadre of twenty-five senior generals who were newly appointed in the Kim Jong-un era. They mostly specialized in operations and have experience as field commanders. 176 Kang Seung-Woo, “Choe Solidifies Power Base,” The Korea Times, December 24, 2013. 177 Nodong Sinmun, December 24, 2013. Ken E. Gause 69
ones, lowering the average age of the inner circle from 76 to 62. 178 Outside of the military figures mentioned above, four deputy ministerial-level officials from the KWP are worth noting: Kim Pyong-ho, Vice Director of the PAD; Pak Tae-song, Vice Director of the OGD; Hong Yong-chil, Vice Director of the Machine Industry Department (MID); 179 and Ma Won-chun, Vice Director of the Finance and Accounting Department (FAD). They frequently accompanied Kim Jong-un on his guidance inspections and he reportedly praised their work. 2. Leadership Dynamics in 2014/2015 In his 2014 New Year’s address, Kim Jong-un hailed the execution of Jang Song-taek as the elimination of “factional filth.” This was a brief reference to the events of December. The address was scrutinized by the international community for any signs of leadership changes after the purge, but none were apparent. The only other major event broadcast on January 1, 2014, was Kim Jong-un’s visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun. Coverage showed the North Korean leader flanked by his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and Chairman of the Presidium of the SPA, Kim Yong-nam, alongside political and military officials. Senior military officers stood to Kim Jong-un’s right again, as they did on his visit to the same building on the anniversary of his father’s death on December 17th. Contrary to much speculation in the Pyongyang-watching community, a full blown purge and reshuffle of the North Korean leadership did not immediately follow the Jang Song-taek purge. What did happen over the course of 2014 and into 2015 was a careful reordering of the key individuals around Kim Jong-un. Much of this re-arrangement was only visible through a careful tracking of appearances by individuals in close proximity to the Supreme Leader. 3. The Regent Structure Jang Song-taek’s purge raised questions about the viability of the regent structure around Kim Jong-un. Over the next several months, the Pyongyangwatching community looked for signs regarding the fate of the other two regents, Kim Kyong-hui and Choe Ryong-hae. As of the summer of 2015, Kim Kyong-hui has not appeared in public since September 2013, when she stood on the leadership podium during a military parade 178 Lee Young-Jong, “Report Details North Korea’s Rising, Falling ‘Stars’,” op. cit. 179 Although it has not been mentioned in North Korean media, Hong Yong-chil’s appearances in 2014 suggest that he may have replaced Ju Kyu-chang as Director of the KWP MID. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea 70
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North Korean House of Cards Leaders
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Copyright © 2015 Committee for Hum
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Jack David Senior Fellow, Hudson In
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3. The Regent Structure............
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d. Ministry of People’s Security.
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II. PREFACE After his seminal 2012
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the reader that many are purged bec
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IV. ABOUT THIS STUDY There are nume
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VI. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Merriam-Webst
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ultimate decision maker and sole so
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humanity; in order to understand cr
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32. NIS: South Korean National Inte
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egent structure would begin to chan
Page 27 and 28: However, there is very little evide
Page 29 and 30: IX. SECTION ONE: NORTH KOREAN LEADE
Page 31 and 32: All Party members, military men, an
Page 33 and 34: Dressed in black, gloveless, and ba
Page 35 and 36: choreography of the transfer of pow
Page 37 and 38: suffered a stroke. 18, 19 A month l
Page 39 and 40: the GPB in the Kim Jong-il era, beg
Page 41 and 42: 2009 from Chief of the GSD to Comma
Page 43 and 44: posting, Ri had been the Fifth Corp
Page 45 and 46: Days after Jang Jong-nam was identi
Page 47 and 48: 4. Civil-Military Relations by Mid-
Page 49 and 50: above, especially the purge of Ri Y
Page 51 and 52: leaders include Choe Ryong-hae, Kim
Page 53 and 54: of the military. More than that of
Page 55 and 56: B. CHAPTER TWO: THE PURGE OF JANG S
Page 57 and 58: afforded Jang the opportunity to me
Page 59 and 60: and merged into the RGB as Bureaus
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Page 63 and 64: a. Kim Jong-il’s Will In 2012, de
Page 65 and 66: A second rumor suggests that Jang
Page 67 and 68: KWP OGD, and the SSD, to construct
Page 69 and 70: ut his pleas went unanswered. At th
Page 71 and 72: eferred to him as an “unparallele
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Page 77: Jong-il, such as Ri Su-yong (Ri Cho
Page 81 and 82: the regime. Throughout 2013, Choe a
Page 83 and 84: 4. Kim Jong-un and the Wider Leader
Page 85 and 86: Armed Forces, 202 had been executed
Page 87 and 88: Name Position(s) Comments Kim Solso
Page 89 and 90: Name Position(s) Comments Kim Songn
Page 91 and 92: Name Position(s) Comments Colonel G
Page 93 and 94: Table 2: Second Echelon of Power Na
Page 95 and 96: Name Position(s) Comments Miltary/
Page 97 and 98: Name Position(s) Comments General K
Page 99 and 100: Table 3: Third Echelon of Power Nam
Page 101 and 102: Name Position(s) Comments Ju Kyucha
Page 103 and 104: Name Position(s) Comments General P
Page 105 and 106: Name Position(s) Comments Colonel G
Page 107 and 108: Name Position(s) Comments Ro Tu-cho
Page 109 and 110: Table 4: Fourth Echelon of Power Na
Page 111 and 112: Name Position Comments Lieutenant G
Page 113 and 114: Name Position Comments Lieutenant G
Page 115 and 116: Name Position Comments Hong Yongchi
Page 117 and 118: Name Position Comments Jo Thae-san
Page 119 and 120: Name Position Comments Government R
Page 121 and 122: Name Position Comments Kim Choljin
Page 123 and 124: Name Relation Comments Ri Il-hyok K
Page 125 and 126: Name Relation Comments Cha Cholma S
Page 127 and 128: While there is debate within the co
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• The Royal Economy. This chapter
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within the leadership in the mid-19
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ase of power. 261 Decision-making o
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The Tenth SPA convened in Pyongyang
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system of socialism.” 273 For man
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Leader. However, this will not last
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Image 11: Kim Jong-il’s signature
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Image 13: National Security meeting
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Image 15: A March 13, 2013 military
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. Kim Jong-un’s Role as Decision
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The Friday meetings focus on milita
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and its Presidium organize and dire
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KWP Charter, the CMC “discusses a
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worldview. 312 He would hone these
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constraints established by his fath
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Fully assuming the role of Supreme
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As the guidance in Kim Jong-il’s
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1. The Personal Secretariat under K
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of Kim’s death in 2011, it is rum
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Kim Jong-il Secretariat was not an
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and manner of operation, however, a
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a. Personal Secretariat Personnel a
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In 2013, South Korean media reports
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Supreme Command apparatus to the GS
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. Secretarial Office of the Central
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from the field commands, as well as
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administrative. Kim Jong-il, a more
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overseeing the implementation of th
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C. CHAPTER SIX: THE ROYAL ECONOMY
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for Kim Il-sung’s own consolidati
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Following the creation of Office 39
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The Early European Connection In th
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numerous subordinate trade and fore
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According to a former diplomat who
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National Intelligence Service (NIS)
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gifts through their place of employ
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ack to Office 39 and into the Royal
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from Office 38 to Office 99 in 2005
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General Trading Corporation, then a
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Hong Kong, and Singapore. These bus
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Kim Jong-il’s private secretary a
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Jang’s Channel to China The Korea
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Chart 10: Jang’s Channel into the
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the Royal Economy. In the summer of
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projects ends up in the Royal Econo
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leadership dynamics inside North Ko
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• The KWP Administrative Departme
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• Tourism represents a growing so
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Chart 12: Jang’s Tapping into Mil
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In addition to these reforms, Kim J
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Despite the regime’s efforts to s
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Night of the Long Knives. Saddam Hu
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In the months following the Party c
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According to South Korean sources,
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In April 2012, the regime made a nu
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National Security Meeting, January
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focus of the meeting was tied to lo
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of the GC escorted Jang from the ha
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as it related to the KWP Administra
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it became more difficult for trader
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Name Post Relationship to the OGD M
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Star.” 545 His elevation in North
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the command and control structure o
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the connections between the larger
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i. Structure The headquarters of th
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Chart 18: Organizational Chart of t
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Pyongyang Anti-Aircraft Artillery C
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Palace of the Sun, which holds the
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ii. Cordon of Security: Relationshi
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iii. Role in the Regime It is assum
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assume the role of political office
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• The Eighth Bureau (Border Secur
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d. Ministry of People’s Security
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chain of command and is responsible
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olstering internal security. Provin
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associate, these fortunes began to
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offices: the Cadre Department, the
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Jo Kyong-chol seated at the far lef
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XI. CONCLUSION To commemorate the 1
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Others see a ruthless regime that i
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it remains to be seen whether this
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continues to create the image of a
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had been executed by anti-aircraft
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• General Ri Yong-gil (60) has be
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2. Party • Kang Sok-ju (76) has b
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• Kim Song-nam (62) is an alterna
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domestic and social issues .668 He
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may occasionally be able to reach o
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Committee list.At the Third Session
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1970s, 692 but his career was resur
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Vice Chairman of the NDC, O Kuk-ryo
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of communication to Kim Jong-un lik
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• Ju Kyu-chang (87) has been an a
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General Pak as his successor withou
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as the “Storm Corps.” He first
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present for Kim Jong-un’s guidanc
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senior leadership are evident in hi
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on debt settlement issues with Russ
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Date Visit Gift (as described in No
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Date Visit Gift (as described in No
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XIV. APPENDIX C: NORTH KOREAN MILIT
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Insignia Title/Name 소좌 (So-jwa)
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B. KOREAN PEOPLE’S ARMY NAVAL FOR
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Insignia Title/Name 상위 (Sang-wi
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C. KOREAN PEOPLE’S ARMY AIR FORCE
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Insignia Title/Name 상위 (Sang-wi
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XV. BIBLIOGRAPHY A. Books and Journ
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54. Cathcart, Adam. “Thrice-Curse
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117. “Is Kim Jong Un Playing Musi
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191. Lee, Gyo-Gwan. “Kim Jong-il
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264. “North Korea’s Kim Jong-un
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Committee for Human Rights in North
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North Korean House of Cards

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