Choe Ryong-hae | |
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최룡해 | |
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6th President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly | |
Assumed office 11 April 2019 | |
Premier | Kim Jae-ryong Kim Tok-hun |
Supreme Leader | Kim Jong-un |
Preceded by | Kim Yong-nam |
First Vice Chairman of the State Affairs Commission | |
Assumed office 11 April 2019 | |
Chairman | Kim Jong-un |
Director of the Organization and Guidance Department | |
In office October 2017 – 10 April 2019 | |
Chairman | Kim Jong-un |
Preceded by | Kim Jong-un |
Succeeded by | Ri Man-gon |
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission | |
In office 11 April 2012 – April 2014 | |
Chairman | Kim Jong-un |
Preceded by | Ri Yong-ho |
Succeeded by | Hwang Pyong-so |
Vice Chairman of the National Defence Commission | |
In office 9 April 2014 – 25 September 2014 | |
Chairman | Kim Jong-un |
Preceded by | Jang Song-thaek |
Succeeded by | Ri Yong-mu & O Kuk-ryol |
Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army | |
In office 12 April 2012 – 26 April 2014 | |
Supreme Commander | Kim Jong-un |
Preceded by | Jo Myong-rok |
Succeeded by | Hwang Pyong-so |
Personal details | |
Born | Sinchon County, South Hwanghae Province, North Korea | 15 January 1950
Political party | Workers' Party of Korea (1967–present) |
Relations | Choe Hyon (father) |
Alma mater | Kim Il-sung University |
Central institution membership
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Choe Ryong-hae | |
Chosŏn'gŭl | 최룡해 |
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Hancha | 崔龍海 |
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This article is part of a series on the politics and government of North Korea |
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Choe Ryong-hae (최룡해, born 15 January 1950) is a North Korean politician and military officer who is serving as President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and First Vice Chairman of the State Affairs Commission since April 2019.[1] He is also a member of the Presidium of the Politburo and Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). He also served as Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un's military second-in-command. He is also father in law of Kim Jong-un's sister Kim Yo-jong.[2]
Biography
Choe Ryong-hae was born in Sinchon County, South Hwanghae Province, on 15 January 1950 as the son of Choe Hyon, who served as defence minister of North Korea from 1968 to 1976. He joined the Korean People's Army in 1967 and graduated from the Kim Il-sung University as a political and economic expert.[3]
In the 1980s, he was a leading member of the Socialist Working Youth League, being its vice-chairman from 1981 and chairman from 1986; when it was reformed into the Kim Il-sung Socialist Youth League in 1996, he was appointed its first secretary. In 1986, he was also elected deputy to the Supreme People's Assembly, member of the SPA Presidium and full member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). In the 1990s, he also led the DPR Korea Football Association and the Taekwando Association of Korean Youth. He was awarded the title Hero of the DPRK in 1993.[4] He was replaced as first secretary of the Youth League by Ri Il-hwan at the 14th plenary meeting of the league's Central Committee (January 1998), officially "due to his illness". This was actually because routine party audits found he was selling scrap metal to foreign buyers without official permission. He was facing execution but Kim Kyong-hui, sister of then leader Kim Jong-il, intervened to save his life.[5][6]
After facing re-education through labour, Choe was deputy director of the General Affairs Department of the WPK Central Committee, then chief secretary of the Hwanghae Province Party Committee from 2006 to 2010. In September 2010, during the 3rd Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea, he was promoted to KPA General as well as member of the WPK Secretariat and Central Military Commission, and Politburo alternate member. He was also appointed secretary for military affairs.
Choe didn't receive particular public attention until General Secretary Kim Jong-il's death in December 2011. Choe was then seen as a key asset in securing Kim Jong-un's leadership. In April 2012, he received important promotions to Vice Marshal, member of the Politburo Presidium of the WPK Central Committee, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, director of the KPA General Political Bureau and member of the National Defence Commission, largely filling the post left unoccupied by Jo Myong-rok's death and working as power broker for Kim Jong-un.[7]
Choe, considered a protégé of Jang Song-taek, is seen part of a plan by Kim Jong-un to restore Party control over the military after it was overturned by Kim Jong-il, particularly after Vice Marshal Ri Yong-ho's dismissal.[8] In fact, Choe does not have a strong military background[9] and seems to support the employment of soldiers to build civilian facilities. The Chosun Ilbo reports that a diplomatic source said Choe is appointing Socialist Youth League members to key military posts and "has assumed control of various businesses run by the military, losing trust and loyalty among the troops."[9] Choe's inspections are the only ones, besides Kim Jong-un's and the Premier's, to be reported nationwide by state media.
By December 2012, Choe was demoted from Vice Marshal to General, as he was listed KPA General at a national meeting marking the first death anniversary of Kim Jong-il on 16 December and at the inaugural ceremony of the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun,[10] though he wore KPA Vice Marshal insignia at the rally celebrating the successful Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 Unit 2 launch on 14 December.[11] This would be concurrent with Hyon Yong-chol's demotion to the same rank and Kim Jong-gak's removal as defence minister, and may be a consequence of the powerful army's growing dissatisfaction over Choe's tenure.[11] Choe was seen inexplicably wearing the Vice Marshal insignia again at a meeting in February 2013[12] and became Kim Jong-un's special envoy for strategic partner China.
In early 2014, Choe was noticeably absent from several public events that he normally would attend with the top leader. In March 2014, it was reported that Choe had been jailed and was being interrogated.[13] Choe was later seen in public walking with a limp.[14]
He was appointed the first-ranking vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission in April 2014, apparently reinforcing his No. 2 position,[15] but he was replaced by newly appointed Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong-so as chief of the KPA politburo,[16] and was officially demoted from the NDC after only five months, thus ending his involvement in military affairs. North Korea's news agency reported later on that he was party secretary in charge of labor organizations[17] and chairman of the State Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission, a post previously held by Jang Song-thaek, and then part of a delegation to South Korea to attend the closing ceremony of the Asian Games. He was also restored to his Presidium position in late October,[18] and finally demoted from it next February, although he remained a high-ranking member of the Politburo. Reports suggested arrogance and bad reputation among the elites as reasons leading to his downgrading.[19]
He was, however, reelected as a Presidium member at the 7th Party Congress in May 2016.[20]
In November 2014, Choe brought a letter from Kim Jong-un to Vladimir Putin.[21]
Choe's second son, Choe Song, was reported in January 2015 to have married Kim Jong-un's younger sister Kim Yo-jong in late 2014.[22]
In 2017, Choe was appointed to the party's Central Military Commission.[23]
In October 2017, he was appointed the director of the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD). Before his appointment, OGD had been long headed either formally or informally by members of the Kim family. His immediate predecessor had been Kim Jong-un.[6]
Sanctions
In December 2018, the United States Department of State and the Office of Foreign Assets Control has imposed sanctions on Choe and two other North Korean officials for suspected human rights abuses and state-sponsored censorship activities.[24][2]
References
- ^ "N.K. leader re-elected as chairman of State Affairs Commission". Yonhap News Agency. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Treasury Sanctions North Korean Officials and Entities in Response to the Regime's Serious Human Rights Abuses and Censorship | U.S. Department of the Treasury". home.treasury.gov.
- ^ Brief History of Member of Presidium, Members and Alternate Members of Political Bureau of C.C., WPK Elected to Fill Vacancies, Korean Central News Agency, 11 April 2012.
- ^ "Choe Ryong Hae (Ch'oe Ryong-hae)". North Korea Leadership Watch. 23 February 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- ^ 14th meeting of Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League CC held, Korean Central News Agency, 26 January 1998.
- ^ a b "Choe Ryong Hae to OGD? [revised 13 JAN 2018]". North Korea Leadership Watch. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
- ^ Kim Jong-un Indispensable to North Korean Regime, Atlantic Sentinel, 13 April 2012.
- ^ N.Korean Military in Crisis, Chosun Ilbo, 18 July 2012.
- ^ a b "Kim Jong-un Beefs Up Security Amid Fear of Unrest". Chosun Ilbo. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ "Inaugural Ceremony of Renovated Kumsusan Palace of Sun Held". Central Korean News Agency. 17 December 2012. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Choe Ryong Hae Taken Down a Peg?". North Korea Leadership Watch. 16 December 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
- ^ "Choi Ryong Hae Restored to Former Glory". Daily NK. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
- ^ Chumley, Cheryl K. (4 March 2014). "Kim Jong-un accused of purging No. 2 leader". The Washington Times. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Chance, David (7 March 2014). "Choe Ryong Hae, Kim Jong Un's Number Two Man, Reappears After Mysterious Absence". Huffington Post. Reuters. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "北 최고인민회의 결과 발표...김영남·박봉주 유임(상보)". News 1 Korea. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ^ Grisafi, John G. (3 May 2014). "Choe Ryong Hae not purged, but no longer No. 2". NK News. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Choe, Sang-hun (2 May 2014). "In Latest Government Shuffle, North Korean Leader Removes No. 2 Official From Top Posts". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Keck, Zachary (27 November 2014). "Choe Ryong-hae is North Korea's Number 2... Again". The Diplomat. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ^ Kim, Subin (14 April 2015). "Choe Ryong Hae loses KJU's faith but retains importance: Expert". NK News. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Choe, Sang-hun (9 May 2016). "North Korea Expels BBC Journalists Over Coverage". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Foster-Carter, Aiden (21 November 2014). "Mistrust Runs Deep in North Korea-Russia Ties". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Kim Jong Un's Little Sister Married Son of Top Regime Official, Report Says". Wall Street Journal. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ "Choe Ryong-hae elected to N.K. ruling party's central military commission". Yonhap News Agency. 8 October 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
- ^ Morin, Rebecca (10 December 2018). "U.S. sanctions 3 senior North Korean officials". Politico. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
Assembly seats | ||
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Preceded by Kim Yong-nam |
President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly 2019–present |
Incumbent |
Government offices | ||
Vacant Title last held by Jo Myong-rok(1st Vice Chair of National Defence Commission) |
First Vice Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea 2019–present |
Incumbent |
Party political offices | ||
Preceded by |
First Secretary of the Kim Il-sung Socialist Youth League 1986–1998 |
Succeeded by Ri Il-hwan |
Preceded by Kim Jong-un Ri Yong-ho |
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission 2012–2014 Served alongside: Ri Yong-ho (2012) Hyon Yong-chol (2012–2013) |
Vacant Title next held by Pak Jong-chon
|
Preceded by Kim Yong-su |
Director of the WPK Workers' and Social Organizations Department 2014–2017 |
Succeeded by Ri Il-hwan |
Preceded by Jang Song-thaek |
Chairman of the State Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission 2014–2017 |
Succeeded by Choe Hwi |
Preceded by Kim Jong-un |
Director of the WPK Organization and Guidance Department 2017–2019 |
Succeeded by Ri Man-gon |
Military offices | ||
Vacant Title last held by Jo Myong-rok
|
Director of the KPA General Political Bureau 2012–2014 |
Succeeded by Hwang Pyong-so |