Kim Jong-un's inner circle: Reshuffle offers glimpse at power shifts - including rise of leader's sister

A sweeping reshuffle of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s inner circle at the weekend has revealed the latest “Who’s Who?” of the Pyongyang elite.

In a country known for its staged optics, a report by the North Korean state press revealing the VIP seating arrangement of a 25-man group at a national celebration for late leader Kim Jong-il on Sunday gave a rare glimpse of power shifts behind the throne.

Government and military circles are given positions based on their standing and the event followed the first meeting of the central committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea this year, during which Mr Kim also promoted his younger sister Kim Yo-jong to the politburo, the top decision-making body.

The elevation of Choe Ryong-hae, party vice-chairman, and Premier Pak Pong-ju, ahead of armed forces chief, Hwang Pyong-so, indicated that Kim was prioritising the party and difficult economic situation amid stifling sanctions over his nuclear weapons programme, analysts told Yonhap.

The South Korean news agency pointed out that Choe and Pak have accompanied Kim on recent propaganda trips to locations related to the economy.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s unification ministry said the reshuffle showed how seriously Kim was taking international tensions over his ongoing nuclear and missiles tests, which he described to his party as a “powerful deterrent” that guarantees sovereignty.

According to the Korea Herald, it cited the promotion to the politburo of Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho, an erudite official who is well known in international power circles, as a sign of the regime’s will to bring an end to its diplomatic isolation.

The replacement of older officials and the rise of Kim’s sister is also being interpreted by some experts as a generational shift in which he is seeking to break free from the grip of his father Kim Jong-il’s inner court.

Here's a look at the key figures. 

Kim Yong-nam

Retaining his coveted position at the top of the regime’s pecking order, former foreign minister Kim Yong-nam, 89, has held the position of President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, the equivalent of a nominal head of state, since 1998. He signs treaties and represents North Korea on all state visits and has been described as highly intelligent and a powerful figure behind the scenes.

Choe Ryong-hae

New in at number two is high-flying vice-chairman of the ruling Worker’s Party, Choe Ryong-hae, 67, who has decades of military and party service. Known to be one of the closest aides to Kim Jong-un, he was appointed during Saturday’s plenary to the party’s powerful military commission. He is said to have been instrumental in securing Kim as leader after the death of his father in 2011, and is seen by the young dictator as key to promoting the party’s power over that of the military.  

Pak Pong-ju

In third position is Premier Pak Pong-ju, 79, who has a long history of shaping the party’s economic development and food distribution policies. As head of government he forms the cabinet, and is the third member of a triumvirate with Kim Yong-nam and Kim Jong-un, who form the executive branch of government, controlling domestic, international and military affairs.

Hwang Pyong-so

Still powerful, but apparently slipping to number four in the VIP ranking, is general and politician Hwang Pyong-so who holds the rank of Vice-Marshall and is also the director of the general political bureau of the armed forces, the most senior military position after the supreme commander. He is widely reported to have been a university classmate of Kim Jong-un’s aunt and close to his mother.

Kim Yo-jong

Although she does not feature in the 25-man line-up, the ascension of Kim Jong-un’s younger sister to the politburo has secured her influence at the heart of the regime. Believed to be 28-30 and married to Choe Ryong-hae’s son, Kim Yo-jong is said to have been instrumental in creating the cult of personality around her brother as head of the party’s propaganda department, attempting to portray him as a benevolent leader. Alongside his wife, Ri Sol-ju, she is one of the two most visible women in North Korean public life, and is regularly seen with Kim Jong-un at public functions.