Amid increasingly tense inter-Korean relations, North Korea has reshuffled its senior military leaders. North Korea’s Chosun Central News Agency announced on February 11 that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il appointed Vice Marshal of the Korean People’s Army Kim Yong-chun as minister of the People’s Armed Forces of the National Defense Commission. The report also said that the commander of the Pyongyang Defense Command, Ri Yong-ho, was named chief of the Korean People’s Army General Staff. The two posts are equivalent to defense minister and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in South Korea. It is considered very unusual for the North Korean leadership to replace the two top military officials at the same time. Here’s Professor Kim Yong-hyun from the North Korean Studies Department of Dongguk University to explain.

It’s not a very common occasion for North Korea to name two military chiefs simultaneously. Actually, a minister of the People’s Armed Forces hasn’t been a very influential post in recent years. Now that Kim Yong-chun will serve in the post, the People’s Armed Forces will likely gain more power. Also, a chief of the Korean People’s Army General Staff assumes a very important role, since the chief is in charge of major military operations. Kim Yong-chun, in particular, is believed to be one of the closest aides to Kim Jong-il. The recent military shakeup reflects that the dear leader has tightened his grip on the military.

Unlike previous personnel appointments, the latest military shakeup was announced in the form of a decision by the National Defense Commission and the Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission. So, it has been officially confirmed that Kim Jong-il serves as the chairman of both commissions. Diplomatic experts say the reshuffle is aimed at strengthening internal unity within the military, noting that the new military chiefs are Kim Jong-il’s closest aides and hardliners.

Little is known about Ri Yong-ho. But he once took the role of chief of the Pyongyang Defense Command, which corresponds to the Capital Defense Command in South Korea, reflecting his high status in the military. He is also known to have organized parades on two major military occasions, and it is assumed he has shown great loyalty and commitment to Kim Jong-il. More notably, the new minister of the People’s Armed Forces, Kim Yong-chun, is known as a hawk in the North’s military. He has often made strong comments against South Korea. Given that he was good at actual combat operations, he is not so much a political figure as a veteran of field warfare and a military hardliner.

These two military commanders are believed to be supporters of Jang Seong-taek, the Workers’ Party administrative executive and the husband of Kim Jong-il’s sister. The recent reshuffle is therefore expected to reinforce Jang’s power. Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Kim Yong-chun is also known as an aide to the late Ko Yong-hee, Kim Jong-il’s third wife and mother of Kim’s third son, Jong-un. So, there is speculation that the choice for Kim Jong-il’s heir has been narrowed down to Kim’s third son. Why did Pyongyang replace top military officials at this particular time? Professor Kim tells us more about the earlier-than-expected shakeup.

North Korea traditionally conducted a military reshuffle right before the founding anniversary of the Korean People’s Army on April 25. But this year, the personnel shuffle came one or two months earlier, in an apparent bid to enhance military solidarity and tighten Kim Jong-il’s control over the military. Amid the rising speculation about Kim’s poor health conditions, the nation must have needed strong military leaders capable of stepping up the offensive against South Korea. By naming the hard-line commanders, Kim Jong-il is seeking to strengthen his absolute rule of the communist regime.

The new military chiefs are known to have served in the field army, and some analysts say the reshuffle is intended to put added pressure on South Korea. The action follows other brinksmanship tactics by the North to threaten South Korea and the U.S., such as Pyongyang’s attempt to nullify the Northern Limit Line, the de facto inter-Korean maritime border on the West Sea, and its alleged preparations for a missile launch. Experts predict that the North’s latest military shakeup will influence inter-Korean relations in a negative way.

I think North Korea’s appointment of hawkish military commanders will have a negative impact on inter-Korean ties, especially at this sensitive time when the North is showing signs of attempting provocation against the South. More disappointingly, it may even foment Pyongyang’s missile threats. The shakeup is interpreted as another strong message by the North that it won’t be swayed by the U.S., but it will keep to strict principles when negotiating with Washington. In this respect, Pyongyang’s reshuffle of military personnel may pose a burden on the negotiation process involving the U.S. and on the six-party nuclear talks as well.

The South Korean government is keeping a close watch on the North’s military threat. Amid the protracted deadlock in inter-Korean ties, tension on the Korean Peninsula is expected to linger for some time. 　 [Interview] N. K. Defectors Committed to Helping Other Northern Expatriates
More and more North Korean people are escaping their home country in search of freedom and hope, and the number of Northern defectors who have resettled in South Korea is nearing 20-thousand. Some have been fortunate enough to take root in South Korean society, while many others are still having a hard time adjusting to a new environment here. Today, I’d like to introduce you to a group created by North Korean defectors themselves, with the purpose of helping other newcomers from the North live independently and resettle successfully here in the South. Here’s Choi Jeong-nyeo, representative of the ‘North Korean Defectors’ Society,’ with further details about the group.

The ‘North Korean Defectors’ Society’ was launched on December 12, 2008. Actually, we had run a small gathering since October of 2004, and we’ve since faced many problems, including legal ones. We felt the need to organize our own group to assist other defectors in acclimating to their new South Korean environment in a more effective way. That was why we launched this society.

Now, the group has more than 800 members, including local citizens as well as North Korean defectors. The group offers practical training courses designed to help the newcomers from the North learn about South Korean society, and provides them with medical services, like physical checkups, and other welfare programs. But the defectors feel an urgent need to get jobs, since their biggest hope is to stand on their own two feet as responsible and self-sufficient South Korean citizens. Having this goal in mind, the ‘North Korean Defectors’ Society’ has opened a dumpling store. Reflecting the defectors’ ardent wish, the store was named “Unification Dumplings.”

For defectors, landing a permanent job is most challenging. Most of them tend to quit their jobs quickly, whether they serve at restaurants or clean buildings. So we opened a dumpling store in May last year to help the defectors work on a longer and more stable basis. We named it “Unification Dumplings” with the hope that defectors working here will be able to resettle well in South Korea and eventually contribute to the reunification of Korea.

The North Korean employees make dumplings with a variety of ingredients, such as kimchi, leeks, hot peppers and dropwort, known as ‘minari’ in Korean. All the dumplings have a distinctive, North Korean flavor. The dumpling store’s profits aren’t large, but it’s been a good educational venue for the North Korean expatriates because they can learn more about South Korean society from other defectors who resettled here earlier. Some of the proceeds from the business go to newcomers and senior citizens living alone, so settled defectors find the work extremely rewarding.

Currently, we’re delivering our products to 20 stores. Part of the profits from dumpling sales is used to award scholarships to poor students and support dutiful children who take care of their parents. We also visit elderly people living alone once a week or so to clean their houses and help them take baths. We encourage the defectors to participate in various kinds of volunteer work to remind them that they can now live independently and even extend a helping hand to neighbors in need. And it’s also important for them to be recognized as responsible members of South Korean society.

Ms. Choi is nurturing her hope in South Korea through her work and volunteer activities. As a former North Korean defector, she gives the following message to South Korean citizens and other fellow defectors:

I hope South Korean citizens will perceive newcomers from the North from a different angle. Now, they can stand alone to earn their own way and even volunteer to help neighbors in need. And North Korean defectors must bear in mind that other defectors who have already experienced South Korean life are willing to support them. I hope they will keep up with their work with more confidence and overcome difficulties. I also hope they will be able to return what they’ve received to the less fortunate in society.

As Ms. Choi has just said, North Korean defectors should be armed with willpower and the confidence that they can do anything. This is what they need the most in order to settle in their new home successfully. Hopefully, the ‘North Korean Defectors’ Society’ will continue to give hope and help to many more North Korean newcomers.