Hwang Pyong-so

Hwang Pyong-so
Chosŏn'gŭl	황병서
Hancha	黃炳誓
Revised Romanization	Hwang Byeongseo
McCune–Reischauer	Hwang Pyŏngsŏ

Hwang Pyong-so (born 1949) is a North Korean general and politician who holds the rank of Vice Marshal (Korean: 차수, Ch'asu) in the Korean People's Army. He is a member of the Politburo Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea.

Biography

In September 2010, Hwang was appointed an alternate member of the Party Central Committee, holding the position of vice-director of the Organization and Guidance Department since the early 2000s with a military and security portfolio. In March 2014 he was elected to the Supreme People's Assembly during the 2014 SPA election; during the same month, he was identified as the first vice-director of the party organization department.

On April 28, 2014 Korean Central News Agency reported that the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and National Defense Commission promoted Hwang to the rank of vice marshal in the Korean People’s Army on April 26. He was first seen wearing the four stars of a full general on April 15, meaning he moved up two ranks – from colonel general in a short time. In an April 27 KCNA report on an artillery drill, Hwang was referred to for the first time as a member of the party Central Military Commission.^[1] Later on May 1 he was revealed to be the new chief of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, considered the senior most position in the military after the supreme commander. On September 25 he also replaced former No. 2 Choe Ryong-hae in his last military capacity as first vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission. Hwang Pyong-so is seen as a key aide to Kim Jong-un. On 18 February 2015 he was elevated to the top Politburo Presidium during a Politburo meeting.

Hwang is widely reported to have been a university classmate of Kim Jong-un’s aunt Kim Kyong-hui and reportedly maintained close ties with Kim Jong-un’s mother Ko Yong-hui.^[2]

Hwang's appearance at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games in the absence of Kim Jong-un, and his subsequent trip to South Korea, has led to speculation in the Western press about his current role within the North Korean government.^[3][4]

References

1. Hwang Pyong So promoted to Vice-Marshal, elevated in Party, NK News, April 28, 2014
2. Hwang Pyong So Elevated to Vice Marshal, Daily NK, April 28, 2014
3. Christopher Green (8 October 2014). "Kim Jong-un: has the North Korean dynasty fallen?". The Guardian.
4. Gerdon G. Chang (5 October 2014). "Has North Korea’s Kim Jong Un Been Toppled?". The Daily Beast.