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North Korea’s Minister of the People’s Armed Forces

Claims made two months ago by South Korea’s spy agency that North Korea’s defense minister had been purged have been partially confirmed by North Korea’s state media.

While introducing the participants in a meeting of military delegations from North Korea and Laos held in Pyongyang on July 11, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that North Korea was represented by “Pak Yong-sik, four-star general in the army and Minister of the People’s Armed Forces.”

The last time that the state-run news service used the phrase “Minister of the People‘s Armed Forces” was in reference to four-star general Hyon Yong-chol in Feb. 25. Hyon was seen in pictures and videos at the end of April and early May, but his title was not used.

On May 13, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reported to the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee that Hyon had been secretly purged around Apr. 30. North Korea criticized the spy agency for spreading vicious rumors and prating about a “politics of terror” but declined to confirm or deny the report.

As recently as last month, Hyon continued to appear in a number of film clips being screened in North Korea.

Aside from the purge, other intelligence that the NIS provided at the time - including that Hyon was executed by anti-aircraft fire, that he was purged because of the disloyalty implied by him dozing during a meeting, and that he was found guilty of treason - has yet to be confirmed. Some experts think that, even if Hyon was purged, he might not have been executed.

Pak Yong-sik, North Korea’s newly appointed Minister of the People’s Armed Forces, was promoted to three-star general in Apr. 2014 and then to four-star general on June 29, just one year later.

As Minister of the People’s Armed Forces, Park is a member of the cabinet and represents North Korea internationally. Park shares his authority with the Chief of the General Political Bureau, who is in charge of appointments, and the General Chief of Staff, who holds operational control. As such, he has less authority than South Korea‘s Defense Minister.

By Kim Oi-hyun, staff reporter

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