NK names armed forces minister to keep army chief in check

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has appointed Kim Jong Gak, deputy director of the general political bureau of the (North) Korean People`s Army, as minister of the People’s Armed Forces ahead of the conference of the ruling Workers’ Party.

This is Kim Jong Un’s style of “checks and balances” and the unique control method of an authoritarian government under which no close confidants of the leader have full authority, said experts.

Kim Jong Un depends on Ri Yong Ho, chief of the general staff of the North Korean army, but has to control Ri to prevent him from getting excessive power.

The North’s chief of general staff controls the armed forces and holds the right of command to take control of military operations. By contrast, the minister of the People’s Armed Forces has no authority for military operations, just the right to military administration. As power comes from arms, the chief of general staff wields far more influence than the minister of the armed forces.

Kim Jong Gak is unlikely to play the role of minister of the armed forces, however. He has served as deputy director of the general political bureau since 2007 as well as the bureau`s de facto director on behalf of the late Jo Myong Rok.

The bureau is the key organization that helps Kim Jong Un control the military through regulating military officials and personal management. The conference of the ruling Workers’ Party strengthened the bureau`s authority to equal a party central committee in September 2010, when Kim Jong Un became the official heir apparent.

Kim Jong Gak is one of “the powerful seven” who escorted the funeral car of the late Kim Jong Il in December last year. He was promoted to a rank equal to that of Ri Yong Ho in the first personnel reshuffle conducted in February after Kim Jong Un took power.

In South Korea, Jeon Hyeon-joon, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, “Though the position is trivial, it can become powerful if a powerful man assumes it,” adding, “By appointing Kim Jong Gak and Ri Yong Ho to key posts, Kim Jong Un apparently seeks `checks and balances` and make them join forces if necessary.”

shcho@donga.com