According to the Munhwa Ilbo, Choi Ryong Hae, the director of the KPA General Political Department, seems to have taken on the responsibility of second-in-command in North Korea during the transitional period of the North Korean leadership system.

Choi Ryong Hae is a son of Choi Hyun, who waged a guerrilla campaign on Mt. Jiri with Kim Il Sung and was the former director of the People’s Army. Choi Ryong Hae apparently became the civilian director of the general political department last April, so he now dominates the army and is able to strengthen civilian control.

A South Korean government official explained that Kim Jong Eun ordered Choi Ryong Hae to remedy the abuses of the military-first politics and to weaken the power of military, and that these orders would not be given if Kim Jong Eun did not trust him fully.

Recently, Jang Sung Taek has failed in his task of developing the Hwang Keum Pyeong islands and in the redevelopment of Pyeongyang, therefore it seems likely that Choi Ryong Hae has taken over Jang Sung Taek’s position as second-in-command.

Source: Munhwa Ilbo/Daum