The Dawn of Kim Jong-un's Sole Leadership System... Confidence in Joining the Ranks of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il

At the 8th Party Congress, Kim Jong Un Self-Promoted to 'General Secretary' Position
Signaling Departure from Predecessor's Shadow and Start of Own Leadership
Kim Jong Un's 'Behind-the-Scenes Power' Jo Yong Won Rises to 5th Rank

North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un has been appointed as the General Secretary of the Workers' Party.
On the 11th, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the sixth day of the 8th Party Congress held the previous day, stating, "The 8th Party Congress has decided to highly appoint Comrade Kim Jong-un as the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea."

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un has declared the opening of the de facto 'Kim Jong-un sole leadership system' by ascending to the position of General Secretary of the Party himself. On the 9th, North Korea amended the Party Charter to revert the existing Party Chairman system back to the Secretary system after five years, firmly establishing the sole leadership system through the revival of the General Secretary position and Kim Jong-un's appointment to it.

The title of 'General Secretary' is a political symbol previously held by his father, Kim Jong-il, the National Defense Commission Chairman. In April 2012, at the 4th Party Representatives Conference, North Korea adopted a resolution to honor Kim Jong-il as the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea 'forever.' The decision made at the 8th Party Congress effectively negates that previous resolution.

Professor Im Eul-chul of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies at Gyeongnam National University evaluated this as "a declaration of the actual opening of the 'Kim Jong-un North Korea, Kim Jong-un era'." He added, "Through nine years of governance, Kim Jong-un has been evaluated for his achievements, leadership, and guidance. While inheriting and developing the history, traditions, and achievements of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, he is expected to fully demonstrate his own new leadership."

Professor Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies interpreted, "The return to the General Secretary position reflects confidence in having reached the ranks of his grandfather and father, and contains a strategic intention to unify the Party system and strengthen the sole leadership system."

The members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, and alternate members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee were announced, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 11th.

(From the left in the first row) Kim Deok-hoon, Premier of the Cabinet; Kim Du-il, Secretary of the Central Committee and Head of the Economic Department; Kim Jong-gwan, Minister of National Defense; Kim Jae-ryong, Head of the Organization and Guidance Department of the Central Committee; Kim Hyong-sik, Head of the Legal Affairs Department of the Central Committee; Kim Yong-chol, Head of the United Front Department of the Central Committee; Kim Yong-hwan, Secretary in charge of the Pyongyang City Party Committee; Kwon Young-jin, Director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army; (From the left in the second row) Ri Pyong-chol, Secretary of the Central Committee; Ri Son-gwon, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Ri Chol-man, Head of the Agriculture Department of the Central Committee; Ri Yong-gil, Minister of Social Security; Ri Il-hwan, Secretary of the Central Committee and Head of the Workers' Organizations Department; Pak Myong-sun, Head of the Light Industry Department of the Central Committee; Pak Jong-geun, Vice Chairman of the State Planning Commission; Pak Jong-chon, Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army; (From the left in the third row) Pak Tae-dok, Head of the Discipline Inspection Department of the Central Committee; Pak Tae-sung, Secretary of the Central Committee and Head of the Propaganda and Agitation Department; Jon Hyun-chol, Director of the Economic Policy Office of the Central Committee; Jong Kyong-thaek, Minister of State Security; Jong Sang-hak, Secretary of the Central Committee; Jo Yong-won, Secretary of the Central Committee; Choe Ryong-hae, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly; Choe Sang-gun, Secretary of the Central Committee and Head of the Science and Education Department; (From the left in the fourth row) Tae Hyong-chol, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly; Huh Chol-man, Head of the Cadre Department of the Central Committee; Yang Seung-ho, Deputy Premier of the Cabinet; O Su-yong, Chairman of the Second Economic Committee; O Il-jong, Head of the Military Affairs Guidance Department of the Central Committee.

The demotion of First Deputy Director Kim Yo-jong from candidate member of the Political Bureau and the rapid rise of First Deputy Director Jo Yong-won of the Organization and Guidance Department are also key points of this personnel reshuffle.

It had been anticipated that First Deputy Director Kim would see her official status rise sharply through this Party Congress and firmly secure the position of second-in-command. However, her status actually declined in the personnel decisions of the Party Congress.

According to the communiqu? of the 1st Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee, Kim's name is absent from the list of Political Bureau members. She is also missing from the list of candidate members of the Political Bureau, a position she previously held, and did not appear on the list of department directors.

However, the prevailing assessment is that it is premature to conclude that Kim's position has weakened based solely on this personnel outcome.

Jung Sung-jang, a research fellow at the Wilson Center and senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, stated, "If Kim Jong-un decides, Kim Yo-jong can be elected as a candidate member or member of the Political Bureau at any time, and since she regularly assists Kim Jong-un's public activities, her official status could suddenly rise like Jo Yong-won's."

Professor Im also noted, "She still holds the position of Central Committee member (ranked 20th). We should keep open the possibility that she may be assigned an unexpected key role."

On the 10th, the 1st Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea was held in the Central Committee Headquarters meeting room, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 11th.

Jo Yong-won, who had been shadowing Chairman Kim, has also drawn attention by rapidly rising to 5th in the power hierarchy. Jo was elected as a member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee, appointed as a secretary of the Central Committee, and as a member of the Central Military Commission, apparently securing the position of Organization Secretary.

Jo Yong-won is regarded as a 'behind-the-scenes power' within the Kim family. In North Korea, indicators of power include whether one accompanies Chairman Kim to official events, appears in photos with him, and how close one stands to him.

According to the 'Kim Jong-un Chairman Trend Analysis' data from the Ministry of Unification's North Korea Information Portal as of the 11th, Jo Yong-won has accompanied Chairman Kim the most over the past five years. He accompanied him 34 times in 2017, 51 times in 2018, 34 times in 2019, and 12 times in 2020, totaling 131 times.

The second most frequent accompanier is Choe Ryong-hae, ranked 2nd in the power hierarchy and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, with a total of 86 times during the same period. Tae Yong-ho, a member of the People Power Party, described Jo Yong-won as "the real power controlling North Korea" during a press conference held in Seoul in January 2017.

Unexpectedly, significant personnel changes were also made in the U.S. and South Korea-related lines. Choe Son-hui, First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs responsible for U.S. strategy, was demoted from Central Committee member to candidate member. Kim Yong-chol, former Party Vice Chairman overseeing South Korean affairs, was removed from the Party Secretary position and instead appointed as head of the United Front Department, replacing Jang Kum-chol, suggesting that North Korea abolished the South Korea affairs secretary position and retained only the department head.

Kim Song-nam, First Deputy Director of the Party's International Department responsible for diplomacy with China, was appointed as department director, and Ri Son-gwon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, retained his position as candidate member of the Political Bureau.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.