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2 AN ATOL
INVESTIGATION All of Kim Jong-eun's
men By Nate Thayer
In
2008, a secret delegation of Myanmar military
generals traveled to North Korea on a weapons and
technology purchasing trip. A leaked detailed
report, complete with pictures, showed Jon
Pyong-ho hosting Myanmar military officials,
including on a tour of a missile factory.
Jon Pyong-ho continues to serve on the
powerful NDC and is named on international
sanction lists for running a worldwide network
trafficking in nuclear material with Iran, Libya,
Pakistan and Syria.
"[He] is in charge of
nuclear weapons development," according to a 2009
UN report issued after Pyongyang detonated a
second underground nuclear explosion. According to
a December 21, 2011 EU report ordering new
sanctions, the Machine Building
Industries Department he
headed is "responsible for overseeing activities
of North Korea's military industries" including
"the development of North Korea's ballistic
missile and nuclear programs".
In April
2009, Jon Pyong-ho was one of only two officials
named as accompanying Kim Jong-il to witness the
purported peaceful "space launch" that scuttled
earlier bilateral agreements to halt ballistic and
nuclear testing, according to photographs and
statements from the official Korean Central News
Agency archives. The other was Ju Kyu Chang, who
was promoted to four-star general during this
year's February ceremonies for the deceased Kim
Jong-il. Jon Pyong-ho was given special prominence
at the recent mourning period closing ceremonies
on 25 March.
Kim Yong-chol, a former
bodyguard turned head of North Korea's spy agency,
also received his fourth star during the recent
Kim Jong-il birthday celebrations. Kim heads the
Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB). Both he and
the RGB are named in UN, US, EU and other
international sanctions for their involvement in
banned sales of sophisticated weapons systems,
including to Iran and Syria, and have been
implicated in launching recent military attacks on
South Korea.
Kim Yong-chol and the RGB
"specializes in the production of maritime
military craft and armaments, such as submarines,
military boats and missile systems, and has
exported torpedoes and technical assistance to
Iranian defense-related firms", according to
December 2011 United Kingdom and EU sanctions
documents.
The same documents name the RGB
as "responsible for approximately half of the arms
and related material exported by North Korea" and
name RGB front companies that in 2007 and 2008
"facilitated transactions involving ... designated
Iranian financial institutions, including Bank
Melli and Bank Sepah ... for the benefit of North
Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau's (RGB)
weapons program."
Kim Yong-chol was first
implicated by intelligence agencies in 2010. In
August 2010, US President Barack Obama cited the
"unprovoked attack that resulted in the sinking of
the Republic of Korea Navy ship Cheonan and
the deaths of 46 sailors in March 2010" when
issuing Executive Order 13551 that placed US
sanctions on a single North Korean official,
General Kim Yong-chol, the RGB he commanded, and
the Green Pine Associated Corporation, a North
Korean front company the US and others have
identified as acting on the RGB's behalf to sell
prohibited arms, including to Iran and Syria.
The day before Kim Yong-chol was promoted
to full general, Pyongyang announced the creation
of a new medal, the "Order of Kim Jong-il,"
awarded for services in building a "thriving
socialist nation" and for the military defense of
the country. The first recipients of the award
included Kim Yong-chol.
Kim Yong-chol's
direct superior, General O Kuk-ryol, vice chairman
of the National Defense Commission, is another
prominent figure in the new regime's inner circle.
The UN described O Kuk-ryol as "supervising the
acquisition abroad of advanced technology for
nuclear and ballistics programs" in a list of
sanctioned North Korean officials he was placed on
in 2009. The EU added him to its list in December
of last year.
At this year's March 25
ceremonies closing Kim Jong-il's 100-day mourning
period, Minister of People's Armed Forces and
Vice-Marshal Kim Yong-chun delivered the keynote
speech which said that Kim Jong-eun "has turned
North Korea into an invincible country which
nobody dares to attack".
United Nations
and US documents from 2011 placed Kim Yong-chun,
identified as "special adviser to Kim Jong-il on
nuclear strategy" on a sanction list that froze
his assets and imposed a travel ban. He currently
serves as Pyongyang's de facto defense minister
and was one of only eight leaders to walk with Kim
Jong-eun alongside the hearse during Kim Jong-il's
recent funeral procession.
Analysts say
that the decision to name Kim Jong-eun as
successor to his father was made by early 2009 and
subsequent reshuffles made within the party and
military have paved the way for a smooth
transition. In February 2009, O Kuk-ryol was
appointed vice chairman of the NDC and Kim
Yong-chun was appointed minister of the People's
Armed Forces.
Top commanders In
April 2009, Kim Yong-chun, O Kuk-ryol, Jon
Pyong-ho, Paek Se-bong, Jang Song-thaek and Ju
Kyu-chang were all elected to North Korea's
highest body, the National Defense Commission. All
six are also named as key figures in Pyongyang's
nuclear and missile program by the UN, US and
other governments, and have all been prominent in
public appearances with Kim Jong-eun in recent
weeks.
Second
Economy Commission chairman Paek Se-bong (circled)
applauds at the start of a national report meeting
for Kim Jong-il's birthday on February 15, 2012.
He was given the rank of colonel general
(sangjang) in a military promotions list issued on
the occasion of Kim Jong-il's 70th birthday. At
past national events, Paek Se-bong had been
observed wearing business suits (Photo:
KCNA-Yonhap)
Prior to the current diplomatic scuffle
over the upcoming supposed satellite launch, North
Korea was accused of creating nearly identical
crises in 2009 when it launched a long-range,
multi-stage rocket it referred to as a space
satellite. The move was in defiance of a UN ban,
broke off then six-nation nuclear disarmament
talks and set the stage for a new underground
nuclear test, the country's second.
The
following year saw North Korea launch an artillery
attack on South Korea that claimed the lives of 46
South Koreans and stoked international fears that
the Koreas were near war.
In recent weeks,
the same North Korean officials known to command
these provocative events have been given
high-profile promotions as Pyongyang unveils the
new core of leaders behind Kim Jong-eun's new
regime. In addition to the 10, other senior
officials have also been named as key figures in
North Korea's illicit nuclear and ballistic
missile program.
Pak Jae-gyong and Hyon
Chol-hae, both of the Korean People's Army's
political department, are named as "military
adviser to Kim Jong-il" in UN and other sanctions
lists. Head of the Academy of Science, Pyon
Yong-rip, is also named as "involved in
WMD-related biological research". All three played
prominent roles in the ceremonies that followed
the death of Kim Jong-il in the carefully
orchestrated succession process to crown Kim
Jong-eun as North Korea's new dictator.
Several other powerful figures who are not
named in international sanctions also play key
roles in the new inner power circle. Korean
People's Army chief of staff Ri Yong-ho and two
NDC members, Generals U Dong-guk and Kim Jong-gak,
are also known to be in Kim Jong-eun's inner
circle.
Vice
Marshal Kim Jong-gak (2nd right) seen at a March
25, 2012, rally ending the 100 days of mourning
Kim Jong-il's death. He nominated Kim Jong-eun as
one of the Korean People's Army's delegates to the
4th Party Conference in April 2012. Ministry of
State Security's General U Tong-chuk (3rd right).
U
Dong-guk heads the State Security Department
responsible for domestic intelligence while Kim
Jong-gak is in charge of ensuring loyalty to the
new leader within the armed forces and party. Kim
Ki-nam, meanwhile, leads the formidable propaganda
operation in charge of molding Kim Jong-eun's
image. Another prominent figure is Choe Tae-bok
who is involved in Pyongyang's scientific and
technological development which concentrates
mainly on efforts to build a sophisticated
military state.
The coming weeks will see
the further unveiling of top advisers who hold the
real power in the new regime, say analysts. The
100th anniversary of the birth of the founder of
the North Korean state, Kim Il-sung, will take
place on April 15. State media have touted the
date for several years as a major national turning
point, marking the regime's promise to create "a
mighty and prosperous nation".
The
official Korean Central News Agency said on Monday
that a rare Workers' Party conference will be held
on April 11, shortly before Kim Il-sung's birthday
celebration. At that event, his grandson, Kim
Jong-eun, is expected to be named the secretary
general of the KWP, the title previously held by
his father Kim Jong-il. Kim Il-sung still retains
the title of president in death.
North
Korea's parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly,
is set to hold its annual session on April 13. It
is expected Kim Jong-eun will also be promoted to
chairman of the NDC, another post held by his now
deceased father. Coincident with these
transitional events, Pyongyang informed
international maritime and space organizations
that it will launch its ballistic missile into
orbit between April 12 and 16.
Nate
Thayer, former Southeast Asia correspondent
for the Far Eastern Economic Review, is an
investigative reporter specializing in conflict,
transnational crime, and Asian affairs. He is
currently based in Washington DC and may be
reached at thayernate0007@gmail.com
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