It appears that
Minister of the People’s Armed
Forces Jang Jong Nam has been demoted from general to
colonel-general, and this is attracting attention.
In a Chosun Central TV broadcast on
February 4th covering news of the 111th Mt. Baekdu
electoral district campaign meeting that chose Kim Jong Eun as candidate in
upcoming Supreme People’s Assembly elections, Jang appeared dressed in the
stripes of a colonel-general.
North Korea’s Minister of the
People’s Armed Forces position was
formerly held by Kim Kyok Sik, the former 4th Corps commander
thought to have led the sinking of the Cheonan and Yeonpyung Island attacks in
2010. Jang replaced Kim in May last year.
Jang was adorned as a four-star general
when he went to pay his respects to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at Kumsusan
Palace of the Sun with Kim Jong Eun on New Year’s Day, meaning that the demotion happened in January. He had
only been promoted to general during an expanded meeting of the Workers’ Party
Central Committee held on August 25th.
Given Kim Jong
Eun’s apparent tendency toward frequently changing, reinstating and demoting leading members
of the Chosun People’s Army for political purposes, it seems likely that such officers could be reinstated to
their former positions in due course.
Expert
analysts agree that Kim is carrying out the demotions to bring leading military
personnel to heel, particularly those whose power he fears may grow in
the absence of Jang Song Taek, who was executed in December.
Further, frequent reshuffling of staff is
one simple way for a leader to show off his or her power both domestically and
abroad, at the same time as securing the loyalty of surrounding officials.
Lee Su Seok of the Institute for National
Security Strategy told Daily NK, “After Jang Song Taek’s execution, this demotion seems intended to straighten
out unsettled military personnel and firm up military loyalty.” He continued, “He
probably also aims to eliminate the concern that the military’s power could
increase.”
Lee went on, “Kim Jong Eun, by way of these
demotions, is showing that ‘even top officers can be chased out of their posts
at any time,’ so they must be loyal.”
Cheong
Seong Chang of the Sejong Institute added, “In the Kim Jong Eun era, frequent armed
forces rank changes show that army officials are weak and
unstable,” and that “in this situation, army officials have no choice but to offer
absolute loyalty to Kim Jong Eun and battle to show that loyalty to him”.
