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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is applauded by participants after being named chairman of the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP) during its seventh congress on May 9. (Kyodo/Yonhap News)

There were no surprising additions to North Korea’s major generals, and Kim Jong-un promoted a large number of his close associates and economic leaders in an attempt to maintain harmony between the older and younger generations. The key appointments made during the 7th Congress of the Korean Workers’ Party (KWP) were reported on May 10 by the Rodong Sinmun, the party’s official newspaper.

According to an official report about the first plenary meeting of the 7th KWP Central Committee, which convened on May 9, the central committee increased the number of members on the party politburo’s presidium (the center of political power in North Korea according to the party bylaws) from three to five, the total number of members of the politburo (including presidium members) from 14 to 19, and the number of alternate members of the politburo from seven to nine. For the most part, new figures were selected for promotions, without the resignation of a large number of older figures.

Among the presidium members of the politburo, Choe Ryong-hae stands out. Under the Kim Jong-un regime, Choe had been the second or third most powerful person, serving as a presidium member of the politburo in 2014 and 2015, but by the end of last year there was talk that he would be sacked or purged. During the party congress, however, he was reinstated as one of Kim’s closest allies.

Cabinet Premier Pak Pong-ju is considered an economic maven, and his appointment to the politburo’s presidium shows that the appointments are economic in focus. This appears to dovetail with Kim’s announcement of the five-year plan for developing the national economy during the party congress and his declaration that “our main target will be directed at strengthening the economy to improve the people’s quality of life.”

O Su-yong and Kwak Pom-gi, who have managed Kim Jong-un’s economic policy along with Pak Pong-ju, retained their positions as members of the politburo after being appointed last year, while Ro Tu-chol was added as an alternate member of the politburo. All of them have served as vice premier of the cabinet.

It is also notable that Pak Pong-ju was appointed as a member of the KWP Central Military Commission amid the dismissal of a large number of figures currently serving in the military. The actual significance of Park’s appointment will depend on whether it was a strategic move intended to increase military cooperation with the people’s economy or whether it was part of the two-track nuclear and economic strategy.

The sudden rise of North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su-yong is another interesting development. Along with being the eighth person added to the politburo in this round of appointments, Ri became a department director in the KWP Central Committee and a vice chairman of the Central Committee’s Executive Policy Bureau. Ri was essentially chosen to replace Kang Sok-ju, former secretary in charge of international affairs, who stepped down because of health issues.

Ri is regarded as a close associate of Kim Jong-un, whom he looked after while serving as North Korea‘s ambassador to Switzerland, during Kim’s time as a student there. It is expected that he will play an important role in foreign policy.

Despite rumors that Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s younger sister, has become the vice-director of the KWP Propaganda and Agitation Department, her official title had not been confirmed. But during the party, Kim Yo-jong was named for the first time a member of the KWP Central Committee (listed 43rd among 129 members). It is generally expected that her public appearances will increase and that she will also be given a wider scope in her work.

By Kim Jin-cheol and Lee Je-hun, staff reporters

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