The rise of the technocrats: Kim Yong Hwan and Ri Tae Il
The recent appointment of two Workers Party of Korea (WPK) officials to senior posts in Pyongyang and Ryanggang Province is directly connected to important construction and tourism-related projects in both areas, Daily NK sources reported recently.
Kim Yong Hwan, who was made chairman of the Ryanggang Provincial Party Committee at the 5th plenary meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the WPK, was appointed chairman of the Pyongyang Party Committee at an expanded meeting of the politburo of the WPK in late February. Ri Tae Il, who was appointed Kaesongs party committee chairman earlier this year, replaced Kim as chairman of the Ryanggang Province Party Committee at the same meeting.
Kim Yong Hwan and Ri Tae Il are both skilled party officials. Kim will take on new apartment projects in Pyongyang while Ri will manage the development of tourism in Samjiyon, a North Korean source told Daily NK on Mar. 10.
KIM YONG HWAN: CONSTRUCTION WHIZ
Kim Yong Hwan is reportedly considered to be the right person for leading the construction of apartments in Pyongyang among party officials. ......
[Source: Daily NK]