Name   Kwon Ho-ung (aka Kwon Min) Sex   Male Date of Birth   1959 Place of Birth     Posts Held Senior cabinet councilor, councilor of the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, chief delegate to inter-Korean ministerial talks Claim to Fame Expert in relations with South Korea Education   Profile Considered a next-generation leader in inter-Korean dialogue, Kwon Ho-ung is a constant fixture at talks between the two Koreas. Usually leading the North in inter-Korean ministerial talks, he is a director of the unification front bureau of the Central Committee of the Korean Workers’ Party and a councilor of the Asia-Pacific Peace Committee. In 1996, he took part in a reunification symposium hosted by the University of California at Berkeley as a student representative of Kim Il Sung University. In inter-Korean vice ministerial talks in Beijing in 1999, he worked behind the scenes to obtain fertilizer aid from South Korea. In 2000, he attended ministerial talks in Seoul in a follow-up to the historic inter-Korean summit that year and accompanied to Seoul high-ranking party secretary Kim Yong-sun, who went as a special envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Around that time, Kwon began using his real name Ho-ung instead of the alias Min. In 2001, Kwon attracted more attention in the fifth inter-Korean ministerial meeting in Seoul. Though only an attendant, he propagated the North’s views as if he was the only voice for his delegation. Also holding backdoor negotiations with Seoul, he was at the forefront in deals with South Korea’s private sector. Later named senior cabinet councilor, he has led the North in inter-Korean ministerial talks since 2004. Though much of his background remains unknown, Kwon is likely to receive more public exposure in light of his past activity.

List