Ministry of Unification: "North Korea Controls Senior Officials Through Personnel Changes"…Publication of North Korea Directory

"Frequent Greetings to Induce Loyalty... Demotion When Problems Arise"
Chairman of the Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Korea, 'Vacant' Again Last Year

Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, presiding over the meeting
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] The Ministry of Unification analyzed that North Korea is utilizing personnel measures for high-ranking officials to strengthen regime stability and party control. By promoting key officials, they secure loyalty, and if problems arise, they hold them accountable through disciplinary personnel actions.

Among the key personnel, it was confirmed that the Chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, which corresponds to our Ministry of Unification, has remained vacant this year as well as last year.

The Ministry of Unification announced on the 8th that it has published the "2022 North Korean Directory by Organization" and "2022 North Korean Key Personnel Information." These publications reflect changes in the party, government, and military organizations' structure and personnel based on information verified through North Korean state media reports and other public sources over the past year since October last year.

A Ministry of Unification official explained, "Considering the relatively frequent changes and rank adjustments in the discipline sector and military personnel, it is assessed that personnel measures for key officials are continuously used as a means to emphasize the implementation of party directives and policies."

On the same day, a Ministry of Unification official told reporters, "The frequent personnel changes for key officials are intended to secure the loyalty of the cadres."

According to the data, the number of Politburo members decreased from 11 last year to 9, with O Il-jong and Ri Son-gwon demoted from members to alternate members.

In particular, the Chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, which corresponds to the South's Ministry of Unification, has been vacant from last year through this year. Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, mentioned in March last year that "the issue of dismantling the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, a dialogue body for inter-Korean relations, had to be put on the agenda," raising the possibility of abolishing the committee. Since then, North Korean media have hardly mentioned the committee.

The Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly and the successor to Park Yong-il, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly who passed away last September, have also not been confirmed, leaving the positions vacant. Additionally, the name of Jo Seok-ho, former Chairman of the Capital Construction Committee, remains listed as the Chairman of the Pyongyang Construction Committee, which was reorganized from the Capital Construction Committee.

The Ministry of Unification evaluated North Korea's high-level personnel changes this year by stating, "They continue to emphasize party responsibility, organizational control, and cadre accountability," and "some disciplinary personnel actions were taken concerning major issues such as the economy and epidemic prevention."

The Ministry of Unification plans to distribute approximately 1,000 copies of the "North Korean Key Personnel Information" and "North Korean Directory by Organization" to the media, related agencies, research institutes, and universities, and to post them on the Ministry of Unification's North Korea information portal.

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