Kim Jong-un and his aides rejoiced after successfully launching the missile
Kim Jong-un and his aides rejoice after launching the rocket
After successfully launching missiles, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un often smiled and hugged three familiar men and sometimes even smoked cigarettes with them.
These three men are of great concern to Western intelligence and security agencies, since they have become the most important people in North Korea’s accelerating missile program.
They include Ri Pyong Chol, a former air force commander, Kim Jong Sik, a veteran rocket scientist, and Jang Chang Ha, head of a North Korean weapons acquisition and development center, according to Reuters.
Photos and television videos show that all three are clearly favored by Kim Jong-un.
`Instead of having to communicate through all levels, Mr. Kim Jong-un keeps these people close to him so he can communicate directly with them and urge them to speed up the progress of weapons development. This shows that
Kim Jong Sik and Jang Chang Ha do not come from upper-class families like other high-ranking officials, experts who study the North Korean leadership said.
`Kim Jong-un is building a new generation of assistants, separate from his father’s assistants,` a South Korean official commented.
The most important person
The most prominent person in this trio is Ri Pyong Chol.
Ri Pyong Chol (left) and leader Kim Jong-un expressed joy after the successful launch of the Hwasong-12 ballistic missile on May 14.
`The most important person in this trio is Ri Pyong Chol. He participated in the weapons development program before Kim Jong-un was even rumored to come to power,` Michael Madden, a research expert
Born in 1948, Ri, who studied in Russia, was promoted when Kim Jong-un began rising through various positions in the late 2000s, Madden and South Korean government officials said.
Ri visited China once and visited Russia twice.
Rocket scientist
The rocket scientist in this trio is Kim Jong Sik.
His role in North Korea’s successful missile launch in 2012 really helped him score points in Kim Jong-un’s eyes, Madden said.
North Korea tested a missile in 2012
`When the rocket was launched and entered low earth orbit, he was recognized for this merit. Missile and nuclear experts under Kim Jong-un’s rule were promoted based on their merits.`
Last year, Kim Jong Sik worked at the North Korean National Aerospace Development Agency (NADA), where he accompanied Kim Jong-un through the mission control room before Pyongyang successfully carried out a mission.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Ri Pyong Chol (second left), Kim Jong Sik (center), and Jang Chang Ha (second right) smile after the successful launch of the Hwasong-12 ballistic missile
The most mysterious person
Of this trio, the least known person is Jang Chang Ha, Chairman of the North Korean National Academy of Defense Sciences.
The agency purchases technology, equipment and information from foreign countries for use in weapons programs, according to the US Treasury Department.
Jang’s institute has about 15,000 employees, including 3,000 rocket engineers, according to Korean media.
Pyongyang’s weapons program was launched in the early 2000s with a similar trio – people close to the leadership and with expertise in military affairs, science and arms acquisition.
Among them, logistics expert Jon Pyong Ho passed away.
Madden believes that their positions have been replaced by a trio directly selected by Kim Jong-un.
