North Korean state media recently reported that Kim Yong Chol — who oversaw the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan and who was a major figure in summits between the U.S. and North Korea — has returned to the Politburo of the Workers’ Party of Korea. In North Korea, his return to the spotlight has drawn attention, with speculation that he will be tasked with managing overseas operations to help raise party funds.
Speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, a high-ranking source in North Korea told Daily NK on Monday that North Korean party officials expect Kim Yong Chol to carry out operations abroad and in South Korea following his return to the Politburo. He will likely be recruiting DPRK-friendly organizations and individuals and suggesting strategies for collecting party funds through them.
Kim is known to be a hardliner in regards to relations with South Korea. He not only oversaw provocations such as the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan, but was also in charge of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, guiding various activities such as illegally earning foreign currency through cyber-related activities, cyber psychological warfare, and recruitment activities through disinformation campaigns.
At the Eighth Enlarged Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee held earlier this month, the Workers’ Party placed emphasis on the desperate situation of state finances and the need for each sector to make efforts to improve the situation.
Specifically, officials were told to 1) expand plans for collecting “loyalty funds” from workers dispatched abroad and trade representatives via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of External Economic Relations; 2) raise donations by recruiting individuals, companies, and organizations that support and encourage the North Korean regime in other countries, including South Korea, via the United Front Department; and, 3) send IT specialists abroad via the Reconnaissance General Bureau and expand earnings of foreign currency through cyberspace.
The high-ranking source told Daily NK that Kim is expected to play a role in establishing strategies for recruitment and foreign currency earning efforts carried out by the United Front Department and the Reconnaissance General Bureau. This suggests that North Korea will increase efforts to recruit people and organizations friendly to the DPRK.
“Kim Yong Chol’s entry into the Politburo signifies Kim Jong Un’s great trust in him,” the source said. “A position in the Politburo holds authority because it signifies political power in the Workers’ Party.”
Kim likely to play just a symbolic role
However, since Kim Yong Chol is advanced in age and was given the position of “advisor” at the United Front Department, some in North Korea speculate that he will play just a symbolic role in delivering a hardline message to the U.S. and South Korea.
On June 19, Rodong Sinmun reported the results of the Eighth Enlarged Meeting of the Eighth Central Committee, saying, “Comrade Kim Yong Chol was elected as an alternate candidate for the Politburo of the Central Committee.”
At the time, the newspaper published a photo of Kim Yong Chol and specified his title as “United Front Department Advisor,” a position which experts speculate was newly created for Kim’s return to the front lines.
“Party officials say Kim Yong Chol is like the second Hyon Chol Hae,” another high-ranking source told Daily NK. “Hyon Chol Hae mostly played a symbolic role as the General Advisor to the Ministry of Defense, Kim Yong Chol will also probably provide more guidance in the United Front Department and the Reconnaissance General Bureau than doing much actual work.”
Oh Gyeong-seob, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told Daily NK that “South Korea-related policy will still be guided by Ri Son Gwon and Kim Yo Jung, with Kim Yong Chol serving as their advisor. But with Kim Yong Chol’s return, it is possible that hard-line measures and provocations in North-South Korean relations will increase in frequency.”
Translated by Annie Eun Jung Kim. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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