Name   Kye Ung-thae Sex   Male Date of Birth   February 25, 1925 Place of Birth   Pyongwon, South Pyongan Province Posts Held Public security secretary of the Central Committee of the Korean Workers’ Party, cadre of the committee’s political bureau, member of the 10th and 11th Supreme People’s Assemblies Claim to Fame Bureaucrat, national security expert Education   Profile Kye Ung-thae rose from a lowly laborer to the upper echelons of power. Despite having just an elementary school education, he was named vice foreign minister in 1960, vice trade minister in 1962 and trade minister in 1967. In the 1980 convention of the Korean Workers’ Party, he was named to the party’s Central Committee as councilor of the political bureau. In 1985, he became the committee’s secretary for public security in charge of the National Security Agency, the Public Security Ministry, prosecution and judiciary. Despite rumors to the contrary, he did not attend college in Manchuria, China, or study in the Soviet Union. Another lie was that his father fought against the Japanese alongside Kim Il-sung. A non-smoker and sober, the soft-spoken Kye is known for leading a simple life. His integrity is considered the secret to his lengthy career. For example, he once sent his prodigal youngest son to a remote northern province to work in a mine. His absence at important events in 1999 led to speculation that he was purged, but others said he retired. Kang, however, reappeared at the end of that year. Experts said he was probably suspended from office but returned after undergoing self-criticism. Records show that he attended Kim Il Sung Advanced School of the Korean Workers’ Party during that time. Interest grew over whether Kye would accompany Kim Jong-il on his China visit in 2006, but poor health apparently prevented Kye from going.

List