Pyongyang has tapped a secretary with the Chosun Workers’
Party, Choe Ryong Hae, to head the State Physical Culture and Sports Guidance
Commission, a title previously
held by Jang Song Taek, the executed uncle of Kim Jong Eun.
On September 24th, Rodong Sinmun, the Workers’ Party’s daily
publication, introduced Choe as the head of the Commission, while reporting on the
North Korean soccer team’s arrival in Pyongyang after defeating South Korea in
the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship.
This is the first time North Korea has made official
reference of the successor to the post after Jang’s execution. Also, despite speculation
that the commission may have been disbanded after the removal of Jang, this
news reaffirms its existence.
Pyongyang had appointed Jang to lead the organization,
created in November of 2012, the year that Kim Jong Eun first took power, with
a decision handed down from a meeting of the extended Chosun Workers’ Party
Central Committee.
In May 2014, Choe Ryong Hae was stripped from his position
as the head of the Chosun People’s Army General Political Department , leading
some to believe he had been pushed aside in the power struggle. However,
confirmation of his position on the sports commission is believed to prove
Choe’s influence still holds ground in the Kim Jong Eun leadership.
This also signals the Sports Commission carries the weight
it previously had, and it is likely under Choe’s leadership, the North will
provide more support in this field and attempt to vitalize sports for the
public.
Aside from Choe, the paper also introduced Roh Du Cheol, the
current Vice-Prime Minister, as deputy; Kim Yang Gon, Kim Yang Geon, the
director of the Chosun Workers’ Party United Front Department; Ri Ryong Nam,
Minister of Foreign Trade; and Oh Kum Chol, Vice Chief of the Korean People’s
Army [KPA] General Staff), as members on the commission, as they had been since
inception.
Meanwhile, the paper reported that the national soccer team
arrived in Pyongyang via train and paraded around the capital on a bus, where
they were “showered with praise” from a welcoming crowd.
