{"id":49683,"date":"2021-10-18T14:37:23","date_gmt":"2021-10-18T05:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?p=49683"},"modified":"2021-10-18T14:44:10","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T05:44:10","slug":"photo-kim-jong-un-pak-jong-chon-ignites-intense-interest-among-north-korea-elite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/photo-kim-jong-un-pak-jong-chon-ignites-intense-interest-among-north-korea-elite\/","title":{"rendered":"Photo of Kim Jong Un and Pak Jong Chon ignites intense interest among N. Korea&#8217;s elite"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_49684\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-49684\" style=\"width: 741px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-49684 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/\uad6d\ubc29\ubc1c\uc804\uc804\ub78c\ud68c.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"741\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/\uad6d\ubc29\ubc1c\uc804\uc804\ub78c\ud68c.jpg 741w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/\uad6d\ubc29\ubc1c\uc804\uc804\ub78c\ud68c-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/\uad6d\ubc29\ubc1c\uc804\uc804\ub78c\ud68c-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/\uad6d\ubc29\ubc1c\uc804\uc804\ub78c\ud68c-630x420.jpg 630w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 741px) 100vw, 741px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-49684\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image: YouTube capture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A large photograph hung at the venue of the National Defense Exhibition \u201cSelf-Defense 2021\u201d to mark Party Foundation Day (Oct. 10) has become a hot topic of discussion among party and military cadres.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The venue also had solo portraits of Kim as well as photos of Kim with military cadres. However, party and military cadres reportedly took a keen interest in a photo of Kim with Central Committee secretary Pak Jong Chon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Daily NK source in North Korea said Friday that party and military cadres who attended the defense expo were \u201cwide-eyed\u201d upon seeing the photo of Kim and Pak. \u201cBecause of this, rumors are circulating within the Central Committee and military of the things the Supreme Leader (Kim) has said about Comrade Pak Jong Chan.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the source, officials from the party\u2019s Military Industries Department; researchers, scientists and technical experts from the Academy of Defense Sciences and defense universities; cadres from the General Political Bureau, General Staff Department and Ministry of Defense; and army corps heads and commanders who attended the event were surprised at the large photo, saying it reminded them of old photos of Kim Il Sung with Kim Chaek.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The source said within the party and military, people are likening the relationship between Kim Jong Un and Park Jong Chon to that between Kim Il Sung and Kim Chaek and that between Kim Jong Il and O Jin U.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pak got tongues wagging within the North Korean military once before following his being named chief of the General Staff in 2019 after commanding North Korea\u2019s artillery units, breaking the long-established practice that the chief of the General Staff should first head the headquarters of the General Staff Department. At the time, people said the extraordinary appointment was due to Kim Jong Un\u2019s particular affection for artillery \u2014 the North Korean leader majored in artillery at Kim Il Sung Military University.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two years later, Pak was named a marshall \u2014 the highest rank within the North Korean military \u2014 for his skills as a commander in pushing Kim\u2019s desire to organize, deploy and improve North Korea\u2019s artillery arsenal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At an enlarged politburo meeting in late June, Pak was reprimanded due to a \u201cgrave case\u201d involving quarantine efforts and demoted a rank. About two months later, however, he was elected to the Presidium of the Politburo of the Central Committee and secretary of the Central Committee, key positions that greatly elevated his status.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With such a big photograph of Pak with Kim hanging at the expo venue, party and military cadres are reportedly showing intense interest, recalling Kim Il Sung\u2019s relationship with Kim Chaek and Kim Jong Il\u2019s relationship with O Jin U.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_49688\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-49688\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-49688 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/1280px-Revolutionary_Martyrs_Cemetery_28-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/1280px-Revolutionary_Martyrs_Cemetery_28-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/1280px-Revolutionary_Martyrs_Cemetery_28-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/1280px-Revolutionary_Martyrs_Cemetery_28-768x575.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/1280px-Revolutionary_Martyrs_Cemetery_28-80x60.jpg 80w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/1280px-Revolutionary_Martyrs_Cemetery_28-265x198.jpg 265w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/1280px-Revolutionary_Martyrs_Cemetery_28-696x521.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/1280px-Revolutionary_Martyrs_Cemetery_28-1068x799.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/1280px-Revolutionary_Martyrs_Cemetery_28-561x420.jpg 561w, https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/10\/1280px-Revolutionary_Martyrs_Cemetery_28.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-49688\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A statue of Kim Chaek \/ Image: Wikipedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kim Chaek led the strengthening of North Korea\u2019s national defense during the days of Kim Il Sung by bolstering the defense industries. Kim reportedly showed great trust in him, calling him a singularly close comrade, a revolutionary fighter with whom he agreed, and a political ally who transcended family.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The source said when Kim Il Sung died, there was only one photograph in his personal safe: that of him with Kim Chaek. From this was born the song, \u201cOne Photograph.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If Kim Il Sung had Kim Chaek, Kim Jong Il had O Jin U. O, who vouched for Kim when the latter entered the ruling party, mobilized former anti-Japanese partisans to back Kim during his succession period. Accordingly, North Koreans call him Kim\u2019s \u201csingular comrade\u201d who played a leading role in passing down the accomplishments of the \u201cJuche Revolution\u201d to the next generation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pointing thusly to the close aides of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, Central Committee members and military cadres are reportedly saying several things about the relationship between the current North Korean leader and Pak Jong Chan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The source said that during Kim\u2019s on-the-spot guidance tours, the North Korean leader said Pak was to him \u201clike Kim Il Sung\u2019s comrade Kim Chaek.\u201d He also said Kim called Pak \u201ca commander who could lead from the front like Kim Chaek.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The source said cadres say Kim considers Pak a \u201cfrank, unpretentious and loyal official.\u201d They believe Pak to be a military official who has worked hard to bolster the nation\u2019s artillery forces by accepting Kim\u2019s belief that artillery is at the heart of \u201cmodern warfare.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/%ea%b5%ad%eb%b0%a9%eb%b0%9c%ec%a0%84%ec%a0%84%eb%9e%8c%ed%9a%8c%ec%9e%a5%ec%97%90-%ea%b1%b8%eb%a6%b0-%eb%8c%80%ed%98%95%ec%82%ac%ec%a7%84%ec%97%90-%eb%8b%b9%c2%b7%ea%b5%b0-%ea%b0%84%eb%b6%80%eb%93%a4\/\">Read in Korean<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A large photograph hung at the venue of the National Defense Exhibition \u201cSelf-Defense 2021\u201d to mark Party Foundation Day (Oct. 10) has become a hot topic of discussion among party and military cadres. The venue also had solo portraits of Kim as well as photos of Kim with military cadres. However, party and military cadres [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":171,"featured_media":49684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,681],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Photo of Kim Jong Un and Pak Jong Chon ignites intense interest among N. Korea&#039;s elite - North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/photo-kim-jong-un-pak-jong-chon-ignites-intense-interest-among-north-korea-elite\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Photo of Kim Jong Un and Pak Jong Chon ignites intense interest among N. Korea&#039;s elite\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A large photograph hung at the venue of the National Defense Exhibition \u201cSelf-Defense 2021\u201d to mark Party Foundation Day (Oct. 10) has become a hot topic of discussion among party and military cadres. The venue also had solo portraits of Kim as well as photos of Kim with military cadres. 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