KORWe are joined by reporter Kim Ayeong to discuss North Korean affairs.
Kim, I understand that North Korea has seen a parliamentary speaker who served for only three months?
[Reporter]
What corresponds to our National Assembly Speaker in North Korea is the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly.
During the Kim Jong-il era and the early days of Kim Jong-un's rule, this position even served as the nominal head of state.
The predecessor, Choe Ryong-hae, held this post for seven years, and Kim Yong-nam held it for over 20 years.
Jo Yong-won, a close aide to Kim Jong-un, was appointed to the position this past March, but he has been removed after only three months.
This is because he has returned to his previous role as the Director of the Organization and Guidance Department of the Workers' Party.
North Korea announced that the existing Director of the Organization and Guidance Department was removed following the emergence of a corruption case involving the deputy director of the Organization Department of the Korean People's Army General Political Bureau.
This is interpreted as holding him accountable for the incident.
The Director of the Organization and Guidance Department, who oversees the personnel and inspections of party officials, is considered the most powerful position among the powerful. It appears that Kim Jong-un urgently recalled Jo Yong-won to fill the post, perhaps judging that it could not be entrusted to just anyone.
[Anchor]
You mentioned that they referred to the constitution several times while announcing this reshuffle. What is the significance of that?
[Reporter]
This reshuffle was announced through the report on the results of the Workers' Party plenary meeting held from the 20th to the 22nd of this month.
Let's listen to the clip.
[Korean Central Television: The proposal for the personnel reshuffle by Comrade Kim Jong-un, in accordance with the exercise of the authority of the President of the State Affairs Commission based on Article 90, Chapter 6 of the Constitution, was passed with unanimous approval by the plenary meeting.]
While decisions are effectively carried out according to Kim Jong-un's will, it is highly unusual for North Korea to cite specific constitutional clauses when announcing personnel changes.
In our terms, it is as if the President ordered the National Assembly Speaker to step down after just three months and return to his former party post.
They seem to have provided a justification for this rushed "revolving door" reshuffle.
In terms of the situation, it is possible that a corruption case emerged unexpectedly.
It can be inferred that they internally determined the lax discipline among officials had reached a level requiring such extraordinary measures.
On the other hand, North Korea has recently been frequently mentioning the constitution, claiming that demands for denuclearization are equivalent to demanding they act unconstitutionally. By presenting the constitution as the basis for this reshuffle, we can confirm a trend of emphasizing the constitution.
(Video Editing: Jo Mu-hwan)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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