A Daily NK source recently provided insight into two new major figures in North Korea’s leadership.
North Korea recently appointed Rim Gwang-il as the head of the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB) which oversees espionage work in South Korea and other countries, while Gwak Chang-sik was appointed as the head of the Supreme Guard Command (SGC), which is responsible for protecting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“Rim Gwang-il is an expert in tactical operations with a stellar reputation, while Gwak Chang-sil is known as a deep thinker of few words,” a source in North Korea told Daily NK on June 5.
THE RGB’S NEW BOSS
According to the source, the immediate reason behind the appointment of the new RGB head was a failed operation last year. Seven agents were dispatched to Russia in July last year and later traveled to Shanghai, where several were killed in a raid on a local jewelry shop.
Rim’s predecessor Jang Gil-song was judged to be incompetent when it came to the management of military units and had a poor track record in carrying out daily operations. Above all, the computers and modems he had purchased from abroad with party funds after his promotion had not lived up their expensive price tag, the source said.
Rim Gwang-il, Jang’s replacement, is known for his outstanding abilities and character.
“Rim is regarded as highly competent in the field of tactical operations. He is said to be able to take in topographic maps, nautical charts and aerial maps at a single glance,” the source said. “He is known for his magnanimous personality, making firm and accurate decisions and a tenacious temperament.”
Rim was in the spotlight in August 2015 for playing a leading role in the explosion of a PMD series mine in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Accordingly, observers believe his appointment as the new RGB chief signals a high likelihood North Korea will ramp up its espionage operations against South Korea.
“Rim has a plan to accomplish the Party’s goals through operations that involve infiltrating South Korea and other countries, as well as dispatching technical experts and armed forces,” the source said.
“He is interested in measures such as training more computer professionals and dispatching them in disguise [as technicians], improving the caliber of liaison office agents, seeking out new agents to work against South Korea and other countries, planning out tactical operations, and reequipping [his offices and agents with new] equipment and technology.”
According to the source, the new head of the RGB has plans to conduct major hacking operations against the South Korean Ministry of National Defense and US Armed Forces Korea to obtain various military secrets.
THE SGC’S NEW MAN-IN-CHARGE
The source told Daily NK that Gwak Chang-sik became the head of the SGC after incumbent Yoon Jong-rin was deemed ultimately responsible for the loss of confidential documents at SGC headquarters in late 2018.
North Korea sought to find a replacement with no academic or regional connections to those in power in the party, government, military or judiciary to ensure they would be fully devoted to the task of protecting Kim Jong Un. Ultimately, Gwak Chang-sik was given the nod.
“They have chosen a loyalist with a squeaky clean record to serve as SGC head. Gwak reveres the Suryong [North Korea’s leader] on a personal level, and was picked as an individual with the moral character to dedicate his life to guarding the leader,” the source told Daily NK.
Little is known about Gwak other than his election to fill a vacancy in the party’s Central Committee plenary session late last year. Daily NK’s source in the country noted, however, that Kwak is the former head of the Supreme Guard Command’s Department No. 1 (which provides security for North Korea’s leadership).
On May 13, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification added 23 new major North Korean officials to its “2020 Information on Major Figures in North Korea,” including Gwak and Rim.
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