Choe Ryong Hae called ahead of Hwang Pyong So: NK`s power ranking shift?

Choe Ryong Hae called ahead of Hwang Pyong So: NK`s power ranking shift?. October. 30, 2014 01:49. .

Choe Ryong Hae, secretary to North Korea`s ruling Korean Workers’ Party, has regained his post as a member of the party`s Political Bureau Presidium.

Delivering the news of the completion ceremony of Pyongyang May First Stadium, North Korea`s official Korean Central News Agency introduced Wednesday Choe as "member of Korean Workers’ Party Central Committee Political Bureau Presidium and head of Sports Commission, or equivalent to secretary of Central Committee." It also reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un provided field guidance, calling Choe`s name ahead of that of Hwang Pyong So, director of the military’s General Political Bureau. This was interpreted as Choe`s power ranking exceeding Hwang`s.

on Sunday, Korean Central News Agency called Choe`s name before party secretary Kim Ki Nam as it reported that Kim Jong Un provided guidance at Pyongyang Nursery and Orphanage. In charge of provocation strategy, Kim Ki Nam had been the first to be named among party secretaries by the North`s state media.

Jeong Seong-jang, senior researcher at Seoul-based Sejong Institute, said, "This is the first time for a secretary of Central Committee to gain position as Political Bureau Presidium member except for when the late former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il gained Political Bureau Presidium member position while being a organizing secretary of the committee at the sixth party convention in 1980." This signals that Kim Jong Un has high trust on Choe.

Choe is the son of former Defense Minister Choe Hyon who was former anti-Japan partisan fighter. It is known that Choe Ryong Hae was dismissed from his post as director of the North Korean military`s General Political Bureau in April this year, and his ranks was also lowered from a standing member of the Political Bureau. Later, rumors spread of Choe having been demoted or confined. But as Kim Jong Un reappeared from 40 days of disappearance, he has risen as Kim`s closest aide.

"There is little chance that Choe gained the standing member rank as the secretary in charge of workers group (as known up to now)," Jeong said. "It is possible that he was nominated to fill in the vacancy of organizing secretary of Central Committee after political retirement of Kim Kyung Hee (Kim Jong Un`s aunt)."