Hyon Yong-chol: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 12:09, 14 April 2016
Ben Thompson | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 현영철 |
| Born | 11 January 1949 Kyŏngsŏng County (modern Ŏrang County), North Hamgyong Province, North Korea |
| Died | 30 April 2015 (aged 66) North Korea |
| Allegiance |  North Korea |
| Service | .svg){kind=small} Korean People's Army |
| Years of service | 1966-2015 |
| Rank | General, then promoted to Vice Marshal, then demoted to General |
| Commands | 5th Army Corps in May 2013 |
General Hyon Yong-chol (Korean: 현영철; MR: Hyŏn Yŏngch'ŏl; 11 January 1949 - 30 April 2015[1][2]) was a senior North Korean military officer and Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) politician who formerly served as defence minister. He was removed from his post and executed in 2015.
Personal life and career
North Korean media have stated that Hyon was born in January 1949 and joined the military in 1966. Having served as a battalion commander, he was elected a delegate to the Supreme People's Assembly in 2009.[2] Hyon was promoted to the rank of four-star general (대장) alongside Kim Jong Un, Kim Kyong Hui, Kim Kyong Ok, Choe Ryong Hae, and Choe Pu Il in September 2010.[3] He was on the national funeral committee in the wake of Kim Jong Il's death in December 2011. Hyon was named as a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea at the third party conference.[2] In February 2012, Hyon received the Order of Kim Jong Il.[4]
Hyon was promoted to the rank of Vice Marshal (차수) of the KPA in July 2012, two days after Chief of the General Staff Ri Yong-ho was relieved of his duties. It was initially unclear if Hyon would replace Ri as Chief of the General Staff,[5][6][7] but this was confirmed a few days later.[8] He was also identified as vice-chairman of the WPK Central Military Commission on 26 July 2012.[9]
Hyon was reportedly demoted to General in November 2012.[10][11] On 31 March 2013, Hyon was made a Politburo alternate member, though he didn't take Ri Yong-ho's former seat on the Politburo Presidium.[12] He was transferred to command the 5th Army Corps in May 2013.[13] He was called back to Pyongyang in June 2014 to serve as minister of the People's Armed Forces.
Ouster and execution
South Korea's National Intelligence Service initially reported on May 12, 2015, that Hyon was purged and publicly executed near the end of April 2015 at Kanggon Military Training Area near Pyongyang.[14] It was reported that he was executed – with a four-barreled light antiaircraft gun – for insubordination and sleeping during formal military rallies, in particular during an event in late April 2015 attended by Kim Jong-un in which Hyon was captured on video napping.[14] A report by CNN indicated that Hyon was accused of treason after he failed to carry out an order by Kim, though the nature of this order was not specified. A top official stated that while executions take place for crimes of treason or subversion, Hyon was not among the executed. According to analysts interviewed by the BBC, while reassigning officials was commonplace in North Korea, the execution of a figure as close to Kim as Hyon was surprising, and could give cause to concern for the country's stability.[15][16][17]
Hours after the initial report, South Korea's National Intelligence Service revised its statement, saying that although it has intelligence information suggesting that Hyon was executed, it had not been able to verify that. There were also reports that footage of Hyon was still being shown on North Korean TV.[18] On June 16, 2015, confirmation was reported from North Korean diplomatic sources.[19] In July, official North Korea media named Pak Yong-sik as the armed forces minister, but did not report Hyon's removal.[20]
References
- ^ "North Korea officially confirmed Hyon Yong Chol's execution". United Press International. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ a b c "Hyon Yong-chol, the general who rose out of obscurity". BBC News. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ "Hyon Yong-chol named vice marshal of N. Korean military". Yoanhap News Agency. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ^ Gause, Ken E. (March 2014). "North Korean Leadership Dynamics and Decision-making under Kim Jong-un : A Second Year Assessment" (PDF). CNA. p. 21. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ Yang, Lina, ed. (17 July 2012). "N Korea names new vice-marshal in military reshuffle". BBC News. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ^ "DPRK awards Hyon Yong Chol title of KPA vice marshal". Xinhuanet. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ^ "North Korea promotes military official to key rank after removing army chief". CNN. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
- ^ "DPRK appoints new chief of army general staff". China.org.cn. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ "Kim Jong Un Attends Performance by KPISF, Visits Health Complex & Outdoor Ice Rink", North Korea Leadership Watch, 27 July 2012.
- ^ North Korea Reshuffles 1/3 of Its Military Leadership: Source, Arirang News, 16 November 2012.
- ^ "N.Korean Army Chief Demoted After Defections". 11 October 2012.
- ^ Report on Plenary Meeting of WPK Central Committee , KCNA, 31 March 2013.
- ^ N.Korea's Military Reshuffles Are a Dangerous Sign, The Chosun Ilbo, 24 May 2013.
- ^ a b "North Korea Defence Chief Hyon Yong-chol 'executed'". BBC News. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
- ^ "Kim Jong Un Purges Defense Chief for Napping, Lawmaker Says". Bloomberg. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ Kwon, KJ; Whiteman, Hilary (13 May 2015). "Reports: North Korea publicly executes defense chief". CNN. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "North Korea Defence Chief Hyon Yong-chol 'executed'". BBC. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ "North Korea defense chief was purged, maybe not executed, says Seoul's spy agency". 13 May 2015.
- ^ http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/06/16/north-korea-confirms-defense-official-executed-for-napping-at-meeting/
- ^ "Seoul: North Korea media confirms purging of defense chief". Yahoo News, AP. Retrieved 13 July 2015.