General Political Bureau
The General Political Bureau is the political arm of the Korean People's Army that monitors and controls the military's ideological trends. North Korea announced in May 2016 the election of two more members to the standing committee of the party's politburo. They are Premier of the Cabinet Pak Pong-ju and party secretary Choe Ryong-hae. The appointments raised the number of standing members from three to five. The existing three members include leader Kim Jong-un, parliamentary head Kim Yong-nam and Hwang Pyong-so, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army (KPA). The standing members of the politburo occupy core positions that control and manage the North's policies and personnel.
Hwang, 76, has been third in line, but cited as the de facto No.2 man in the authoritarian state. He guarded his position without a hitch by demonstrating his loyalty to the 33-year-old leader. Hwang gave a speech praising Kim Jong-un when Kim was unanimously appointed to lead the party congress on 14 April 2016.
The Organization and Guidance Department directly raising an issue with the General Political Bureau for its "disobedience to the party" and launching an inspection for the first time in twenty years was unusual. Some experts believed that Kim Jong-un, the chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea was trying to strengthen his hold of the military, led by Hwang, through Choe Ryong-hae, practically the second-in-command.
Choe, fifth in line, newly appointed to the standing committee in 2016, had experienced difficulties in vying with Hwang for the No.2 position ? Choe lost the director's post for the General Political Bureau of the KPA to Hwang in 2014. Rumors abounded in 2015 that Choe was kept out of power after it was learned that he had been sent to a reeducation farm in the northeastern part of the reclusive state for his allegedly poor work performance. But Choe returned to central politics in December 2015 right after the North announced that Kim Yang-gon, Pyongyang's front-man on inter-Korean affairs, died in a car accident.
On 20 November 2017, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) announced that North Korea was examining the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) for the first time in two decades. The intelligence agency also claimed that they obtained intelligence that heavyweights in the North Korean regime including Hwang Pyong-so, the director of the General Political Bureau, and Kim Won-hong, the first deputy director of the bureau, were punished by the regime.
Lawmaker Kim Byung-kee, the executive secretary of the Minjoo Party of Korea conveyed that during a report to the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee this day, the NIS said, "The party leadership found fault with some disobedient attitude and Choe Ryong-hae, the vice chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea is leading a censor of the military's General Political Bureau. This is the first time in two decades." Vice Chairman Choe Ryong-hae is presumed to be the director of the Organization and Guidance Department.
In particular, the NIS reported that they obtained intelligence on the punishment of the officers in the General Political Bureau including Hwang and Kim and that they were keeping a close eye on the situation. As for the level of punishment, lawmaker Kim said, "It was mentioned to some extent, but I am restricted (to release that)," and added, "Didn't their ranks change?" Recently, Hwang Pyong-so fell from second to fourth in the power hierarchy of the North, and experts believe the two incidents are connected. Reportedly, Hwang has not appeared in North Korean media coverage since his last appearance on 13 October 2017.
Earlier, the Institute for National Security Strategy, an affiliate of the National Intelligence Service, had said, "Choe Ryong-hae was dismissed after the Organization and Guidance Department centered on Hwang Pyong-so (the director of the first division of the Organization and Guidance Department at the time) reported to Kim Jong-un that there were signs of Choe trying to secure his people to build power," based on the statements by senior North Korean officials who defected last March. They added, "Choe Ryong-hae's power has been greatly weakened after Kim Jong-un limited his role to overseeing workers' groups, but he is looking for a chance to revenge Hwang."
Hwang Pyong-so, the director of the bureau was one of the three North Korean officials who visited the South ahead of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, and was regarded as a heavyweight in the regime. Kim Won-hong, the first deputy director of the bureau, was dismissed from national security affairs, but was reportedly appointed as the deputy director of the General Political Bureau after showing that he still remained strong with his appearance at the military parade on the 105th birthday of Kim Il-sung in April 2017.
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