"Cunning Negotiator"... Retired General's Recollection of Facing North Korea's Kim Yong-chol

Retired Army Brigadier General Mun Seongmuk, Director of Korea National Strategy Research Center
Directly Faced North Korean Kim Yongchol at Inter-Korean General-Level Military Talks
"Cunning and Aggressive... Sometimes Behaves Submissively for His Goals"

Kim Yong-chol, the former secretary for South Korean affairs of the Workers' Party of Korea, who was identified as the mastermind behind the Cheonan sinking incident, has returned to the position of advisor at the United Front Department. Moon Sung-mook, head of the Unification Strategy Center at the Korea Institute for National Unification, who directly faced him during the inter-Korean general-level military talks, recalled him as a "cunning negotiator skilled in intrigue." He is evaluated as a figure who uses any means necessary, sometimes uttering aggressive remarks but also groveling to get what he wants.

Retired Army Brigadier General Moon said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 20th, "Kim Yong-chol is very intelligent and a negotiator skilled in intrigue," adding, "To put it negatively, I remember him as a very sly 'rat'-like figure." Moon served as the South Korean deputy chief representative during the 2006-2007 inter-Korean general-level military talks while he was the head of the North Korea Policy Division at the Ministry of National Defense (colonel), directly facing Kim Yong-chol, then a North Korean People's Army major general and the northern representative.

Colonel Moon Seong-muk (right) of the South Korean Army and North Korean Senior Captain Park Ki-yong at the working-level representatives' meeting in March 2006 ahead of the inter-Korean general-level military talks. At that time, Moon Seong-muk, Director of the North Korea Policy Division at the Ministry of National Defense, served as the South Korean deputy chief representative, engaging with Kim Yong-chol, the North Korean chief representative.

Moon also recalled a direct confrontation with Kim Yong-chol. In December 2007, at Panmunjom where the military talks were held, the North displayed unagreed-upon materials in front of reporters, leading to a physical scuffle between South and North Korean aides trying to block the screen. North Korea has insisted on nullifying the Northern Limit Line (NLL) since the Kim Il-sung era, and the controversial materials contained claims about the illegitimacy of the NLL. Moon, then the South Korean deputy chief representative, shouted, "What is this nonsense?" and eventually Kim Yong-chol ordered the screen to be turned off.

Moon said, "Having worked on South Korean affairs for a long time, he possesses extensive knowledge and experience and is a negotiator who skillfully handles the other side," adding, "He would intimidate and threaten, but if he wanted something, he would grovel and plead, saying 'Please help me'." He further noted, "Kim Yong-chol is one of the few trusted figures across three generations: Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-un," and predicted, "Born in 1946 and quite old, he is likely to serve as an advisor rather than take frontline roles."

From Cheonan to Yeonpyeong... "Kim Jong-un also relies on him a lot"

January 2019, Kim Yong-chol, Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and Head of the United Front Department (left), and Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State

Kim Yong-chol first appeared as deputy director of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces during the 1989 high-level inter-Korean preliminary talks, attracting attention with his blunt speaking style, and participated in the main talks the following year, proving Kim Il-sung's favor. It is said that due to his performance during this period, he had a private audience with Kim Il-sung and changed his real name from Kim Dong-su to Kim Yong-chol. Originally, Kim Yong-chol was a pseudonym used during the talks, but Kim Il-sung was so pleased with his performance that it became like a name bestowed by the supreme leader himself.

During the Kim Jong-il era, Kim Yong-chol served as the North Korean chief delegate at the 2000 inter-Korean summit and was involved in several talks and major South Korean issues such as the Kaesong Industrial Complex and Mount Kumgang tourism projects. From 2009, when the succession from Kim Jong-il to Kim Jong-un was underway, he commanded the Reconnaissance General Bureau of the People's Army and led the Cheonan sinking incident in March 2010. In October of the same year, he also orchestrated the surprise shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, contributing to establishing Kim Jong-un's leadership early in his rule. Later, in March 2013, he declared the nullification of the armistice agreement and threatened a "sea of fire."

Moon referred to this record, saying, "I understand that Kim Jong-un also relied heavily on Kim Yong-chol," and recalled, "He appeared alongside Kim Jong-un during the 2018 Panmunjom summit." Indeed, Kim Yong-chol thrived while closely assisting Kim Jong-un until the 2018 inter-Korean and US-North Korea dialogues. At that time, the US identified Kim Yong-chol, who led the North Korean negotiation team, as an "undesirable figure," demanding his replacement because talks were stalled. Despite this, he maintained unwavering principles and earned the trust of the North Korean leadership.

Kim Yong-chol of North Korea appointed as advisor to the United Front Department

However, his influence declined after the 2019 Hanoi US-North Korea summit ended empty-handed. In 2021, the position of secretary for South Korean affairs was abolished, effectively demoting him to head of the United Front Department, and in June last year, he even handed over the United Front Department chief position to his junior, Ri Son-gwon, who was considered his "avatar." His return as an advisor to the United Front Department after a year is seen as a step toward resuming South Korean and US-related duties. As a prominent "hardliner," it is also speculated that he will serve as a loudspeaker for sending confrontational messages to South Korea and the US.

Moon said, "There is a possibility that Kim Yong-chol's personality will be fully utilized when North Korea issues hardline messages in the future," but added, "North Korea moves according to the supreme leader's will and the party's line, so it is wrong to think that an individual's personality can dictate tactics or policies. Viewing Kim Yong-chol's return as a sign of new policies is a mistake." He further evaluated, "It is a way to show some respect to a figure who has been loyal to the Kim Jong-un regime and also serves to induce loyalty from other military officials."

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