In the wake of Jang Song Thaek’s December
2013 execution, the Central Administrative Department [AD] of the Korean
Workers’ Party has steadily ceded ground to the Organization and Guidance
Department’s new offshoot known as the “7th Group.” According to inside
sources, although the Party AD wielded unlimited authority during Jang Song
Thaek’s days, they now serve a more ceremonial function, with the 7th Group
taking on more of the real duties and obligations.
In a telephone conversation with the Daily
NK on September 30th a source close to North Korean high-level affairs in China
explained, “The Organization and Guidance Department created the 7th Group last
year to take on the exact same kind of tasks that the Party Administration had
been responsible for. The 7th Group is an independent agency, but they get
comprehensive guidance from the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD), so
it’s clear where the true power resides.”
An additional source in China with
high-level ties to North Korea confirmed this news.
“Even going back to the days of Jang Song
Thaek, the Party AD had the authority and influence to act unilaterally. These
days, the power sharing arrangement has been drastically changed. The 7th Group
is one of many task groups directly appointed by the OGD to carry out functions
on their behalf,” the source explained.
When Jang Song Thaek was chief of the
Central Administrative Department of the Workers’ Party, that department had
jurisdiction over the State Security Department (the closest equivalent in the
South would be the National Intelligence Service), the Ministry of People’s
Security (who act as police forces in the North) , the judiciary, etc. But now
the AD has to submit requests and receive approval from the OGD to act in that
capacity. It is clear that the Organization and Guidance Department has
absorbed a great deal of power, the source indicated.
“The power to direct and oversee these
various agencies was formerly vested in the OGD, but Jang Song Thaek was able
to seize those responsibilities. After Kim Jong Un purged and executed
Jang Song Thaek he looked for ways to downgrade the influence of the Party AD.
That’s what caused the shift in power we see now.”
When asked to explain about Jo Yon Jun,
first deputy director of the OGD, the source said, “He is the brains behind the
operation in the Kim Jong Un regime. Jo Yon Jun oversees and directs all
internal matters within the Party. Jang Sang Thaek not only controlled the
state’s main agencies, he also controlled much of the foreign currency earning
operations that dealt with North Korea’s biggest trading partner, China.”
Added the source, “Jo Yon Jun was involved
in Jang Song Thaek’s purge in an indirect way, as he issued reports about it to
Kim Jong Un. But he wasn’t directly involved. After Jo Yon Jun removed the
foundations of Jang Song Thaek’s power, the State Security Department conducted
the investigation and carried out other tasks pursuant to his purge.”
“Under Kim Jong Un’s regime, the power is
centralized under the OGD and the State Security Department, which is responsible
for the surveillance and control of all security matters. Following the purge
of Hyon Yong Chol, North Korea’s former minister of the People’s Armed Forces,
head of the State Security Department (SSD) Kim Won Hong has received Kim Jong
Un’s trust and confidence,” he asserted.
“Kim Won Hong has done a respectable job in
Kim Jong Un’s eyes in terms of controlling society. Compared to the past, the
SSD has gained power as a result of earning this trust.”
