On a recent visit to Ryanggang Province at the end of November, Kim Jong Un focused on meeting with high-ranking officials including Hwang Pyong So, director of the KPA’s General Political Bureau and Choe Ryong Hae, vice-chairman of the State Affairs Commission at a special villa. The meeting was reportedly spent discussing recent internal and external developments and a plan for the new year to increase loyalty among the general population.
“Kim Jong Un visited the headquarters of KPA Large Combined Unit 380 [as reported by the Rodong Sinmun on November 25] from 11am on November 24 for about an hour. He then went to the special villa in Ryanggang Province,” a source in Ryanggang Province told Daily NK on December 5.
“(The state-run media) has largely reported that Kim Jong Un inspected every corner of Ryanggang Province, but his actual inspection was very brief. Most of his time was spent staying in the special villa from November 24 to 27.”
Although it is not known what was discussed in the villa, considering that the regime has long claimed Samjiyon (located near the North’s tallest mountain, Mount Paektu), to be Kim Jong Il’s birthplace and that the Paektu region is the sacred grounds of Kim Il Sung’s revolutionary activities, it is likely that personnel issues and South Korea strategy were on the agenda.
“To make political decisions in Ryanggang rather than Pyongyang attaches meaning through its proximity to Mount Paektu. Topics of discussion likely included ordering the cadres to launch an offensive to promote unrest in South Korea, as the regime is promoting the current political situation of South Korea as a ‘new opportunity to achieve the goal of reunification,” the source said.
Professor Kim Yong Soo at Sogang University explained, “The meeting was likely to have been aimed at consolidating Kim Jong Un’s close allies. So there’s a possibility that other unknown personnel were specially summoned to the villa. It also cannot be ruled out that candid discussions were held regarding personnel who need to be purged.”
“The meeting was likely to have focused on resolving issues for the Kim Jong Un regime in leading the country. It is also possible that Kim Jong Un issued instructions regarding power struggles within the regime,” Kim added.
Kim Jong Un was also reported to have viewed a performance by the so-called “Women’s Squadron” belonging to Unit 1045 (43rd Brigade) of the KPA’s Large Combined Unit 380 together with participants of the villa meeting. The Women’s Squadron is composed of attractive young women carefully selected from across the country, including students of Mangyongdae Children’s Palace in Pyongyang.
“Kim Jong Un normally only briefly visits the military units but this time he stayed to watch a performance by the Women’s Squadron. In the past, Kim Jong Il was known to frequently request a performance by the Women’s Squadron when visiting Ryanggang Province,” a separate source in the province explained.
“The Women’s Squadron is a special unit for singing and dancing, and do not live like military personnel. They are not actual soldiers and don’t undertake military training, instead being tasked with singing and dancing while wearing military uniforms. They receive preferential treatment.”
“During Kim Jong Il’s time, the Women’s Squadron was often publicized nationwide but its popularity declined after Kim Jong Il’s death. It seems that Kim Jong Un has brought it back. The only difference this time is that it was not openly announced by the official media,” she concluded.
