Changchun, China — The North Korean authorities have appointed Kim Young Cheol (55) to the position of Organizing Secretary of the Yangkang Province Committee of the Party. He took the position on the 16th.
The previous holder of the position, Kim Kyung Ho, was dismissed in August after taking responsibility for the May defection of First Secretary of the Socialist Working Youth League Seo Kyung Sik. Since then, the position had been vacant.
A source from Yangkang Province reported to The Daily NK on Monday, “The newly appointed Organizing Secretary was previously in charge of Yangkang Province during two years as the Chief of the Provincial Management Department of the Guidance Department of the Central Committee of the Party. He knows very well the real state of the Province and has a great number of interests, especially in agriculture.”
He added, “Among low-ranking cadres, he is well known as a person who lives simply and is not so authoritarian, while among high officials, as someone with strong charisma and no mercy.”
After a personnel appointment like this, cadres surrounding the new appointee are likely to be replaced, especially those in positions just below; in this case Organizing Director and vice-directors of the Yangkang Province Committee of the Party.
Therefore, high officials have already started making self-preservatory attempts to get close to Kim Young Cheol, according to the source.
Kim Kyung Ho, the former Organizing Secretary, had been the Chief Secretary of the Province until February of this year, before he moved into the position of Organizing Secretary and eventually got dismissed in August. His move from Chief Secretary to Organizing Secretary was just standard bureaucratic reshuffling to check the power of individual officials.
The current Chief Secretary of the Yangkang Province Committee of the Party is Kim Hee Taek.
