North Korea recently carried out a large-scale shakeup of major high-ranking figures handling relations with South Korea and the United States, stressing “strength against strength” and a “head-on contest.”
Within North Korea’s ruling party, speculation is emerging that Pyongyang will adopt a strategy of focusing on diplomacy with Washington by launching a “head-on contest” with the US, while adopting a hardline policy against Seoul, excluding South Korea from all negotiations and continuing tensions.
Prior to this, North Korea media reported that Kim Jong Un chaired the Fifth Enlarged Plenary Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea from June 8 to 10. “The General Secretary said that the right to self-defence is an issue of defending sovereignty, clarifying once again the Party’s invariable fighting principle of power for power and head-on contest,” KCNA reported on June 11. “And he set forth the militant tasks to be pushed forward by the armed forces of the Republic and the national defence research sector.”
In particular, the meeting elevated first deputy foreign minister Choe Son Hui to foreign minister. Choe is an expert on the US who led not only bilateral talks with the US in 2018 and 2019, but also several four-party and six-party talks as well.
In North Korea, Choe has long been recognized as the country’s top figure in diplomacy with the US. Until recently, she oversaw strategy and analysis regarding the US at the foreign ministry.
A high-ranking Daily NK source in North Korea said Wednesday that Choe is one of only a handful of cadres who can talk one-on-one to Kim Jong Un. This means Kim has great faith in Choe.
Choe has suffered setbacks, too, having been sentenced to three months of “revolutionization” — i.e., a punishment of forced labor and ideological training — in 2020 due to conflicts with previous Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon. However, the source said in matters regarding intelligence analysis and strategy vis-a-vis the United States, Kim Jong Un has long received reports directly from Choe, not Ri.
On the other hand, Ri — who had earned dishonor in North Korea as a “puppet boss” due to his insufficient experience in US diplomacy — has been named head of the ruling party’s United Front Department, returning to his original bailiwick, namely, dealing with South Korea.
Some North Koreans say that while the hardline Ri, who played the role of the regime’s tough talker in the past, closed off talks with the US after being named foriegn minister, the appointment of Choi sent a message that Pyongyang could actively seek talks with Washington.
A high-ranking source said the latest shakeup aimed to “realize the foreign policy line to smash the ‘action first, compensation later’ system presented by the US and move to a ‘compensation first, action later’ system.”
Within its ruling party, North Korea has already been reaffirming its foreign policy line that if the US first eases sanctions and presents economic compensation, Pyongyang could suspend nuclear tests and freeze its nuclear program.
Meanwhile, North Korea has reportedly altered some of its policies in the military industry sector, ending efforts to advance its nuclear capacity through “self-reliance” and launching efforts to actively adopt technologies and bring in equipment from overseas.
North Korean authorities believe they have completed all the weapon technologies and designs they could domestically develop, and now they must bring in supplies or technologies from overseas to further develop their firepower, another high-ranking source told Daily NK.
The source said it was in this context that Yu Jin was replaced by Cho Chun Ryong as head of the Munitions Industry Department.
Cho is a scientist who specialized in missiles at Kim Jong Un National Defense University. However, he also reportedly took part in activities to import weapon plans and parts from overseas, too.
Within the ruling party, Yu’s replacement less than a year after being named to the post is seen as punishment for the failed test launch of the Hwasong-17 missile.
People say that Yu “wasted a lot of party funds,” said the source.
“Yu bears a lot of responsibility for the failed test launch, but because he’s a trusted comrade of Kim, he wasn’t kicked out completely and could rise again,” he added.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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