Choe Ryong-hae, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s special envoy to China, is one of his most trusted aides with close family ties to the ruling dynasty.
The 63-year-old civilian-turned-general came to prominence in April last year when he took the helm of the General Political Bureau, a powerful military organ under the direct control of the ruling Workers’ Party.
The bureau oversees military personnel affairs, including promotion and position assignment and disciplinary action ― a reason why some experts argue the body appears more influential than any other military organs.
Last year, Vice Marshal Choe also became a member of the five-person decision-making politburo presidium of the ruling party and the vice chairman of the party’s Central Military Commission.
Amid the rise of Choe, speculation has been raised over a possible power struggle between him and conservative field commanders such as former General Staff Chief Ri Yong-ho. Ri was sacked last July in a move, which analysts said was aimed at reducing the influence of rigid, conservative military officers over state affairs.
Choe rose up the political pecking order on the back of his father’s close ties with the Kim dynasty. His father Choe Hyon was a key member of the partisan guerrilla campaign against the Japanese colonialists in the 1930s, which was led by the communist state’s national founder Kim Il-sung.
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
