It was confirmed on the 29th that Lee Young Gil has been made a Chosun People’s Army general, indicating that he may also now be Chief-of-Staff of the Chosun People’s Army.
Chosun Central News Agency and Rodong Sinmun reported the news indirectly via a report on Kim Jong Eun’s attendance at a soccer match. In a photo published alongside the news, Lee appeared wearing the insignia of a general. He was also the fourth person to be listed as having been in attendance, after Cabinet Prime Minister Pak Pong Ju, the director of the army’s General Political Bureau, Choi Ryong Hae, and Jang Sung Taek.
Interestingly, the newly anointed General Lee was previously Director of Operations in the General Staff Department of the Chosun People’s Army. This made him lower in status than Jang Jeong Nam, the sitting Minister of People’s Armed Forces, so it would have been customary for him to be introduced after Jang in the attendance list. However, Jang was listed fifth by the media, leading to the assertion that Lee has also been made Chief-of-Staff, replacing Kim Kyok Sik.
North Korea only dismissed then-Chief-of-Staff Hyeon Young Cheol in May, replacing him with Kim Kyok Sik. If the presumption of Lee’s elevation were to be true, it would mean that Kim has been dismissed only 3 months after his appointment.
A senior researcher at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, Cheong Seong Chang told Daily NK on the 29th, “Rodong Sinmun mentioned Lee Young Gil, who used to be Director of Operations, earlier than Jang Jeong Nam, the Minister of People’s Armed Forces. It looks very much like the Chief-of-Staff was changed from Kim Kyok Sik to Lee Young Gil.
“In North Korea the listing of chief-of-staff and armed forces minister could be flipped, but there is no way the Director of Operations should be mentioned before the Minister,” he went on. “His appearing in the insignia of a general to watch the match reinforces the point that he was promoted.”
Commenting on the background to the dismissal of Kim Kyok Sik, Cheong went on, “I believe Kim Kyok Sik’s dismissal was not a result of his making any particular mistake. Rather, the North Korean authorities must have decided that a younger person could be better equipped to draw active cooperation from the military for the building of an economic power.”
“We should pay attention to the fact that the timing of Kim Kyok Sik’s dismissal also overlaps with the period of North Korea beginning to improve its relationship with South Korea,” he added. “Kim is regarded as having been the person behind the Cheonan sinking, so it could also be said that North Korea has accepted the South Korean government’s demand.”
