Choe and Pak in Media Limelight









▲Choe Ryong Hae speaks to soldiers (ⓒRodong Sinmun)



North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun has published photos of high-ranking officials attending public outings, presumably as an assurance of regime stability amid news of the purge of former second-in-command Jang Sung Taek.


An article released on the 8th featured Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Choe Ryong Hae visiting accommodation for construction workers. In an unusual move, only a picture of Choe was published despite a number of other key officials being in attendance.









▲Pak Pong Ju at the State Academy of Sciences (ⓒRodong Sinmun)


Next to the image of Choe was a picture of Premier Pak Pong Ju making an on-site inspection at North Korea’s State Academy of Sciences.

According to the report, Pak looked over the exhibition hall of the academy and toured the nearby Unjong Scientists’ District, announcing, “The academy has developed into a reliable centre of the nation for scientific research under the wise leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea.”



Images of Pak have been appearing more frequently of late, as more articles focus on the development of the economy.


Meanwhile, in a rerun of a documentary aired on North Korean television on the 7th, Jang Sung Taek was edited out and sections starring Choe and Pak were inserted.


Shifting the focus to both construction projects and Choe and Pak allows Kim Jong Eun to show to both domestic and international audiences that the regime remains stable, some have pointed out.


Pak and Jang both held key positions related to the development of special economic zones under Kim Jong Eun. They were both previously involved in implementing the July 1st Economic Management Improvement Measures in 2002, a set of economic reforms initiated by Kim Jong Il.