[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] In diplomatic circles, attention is focused on the appointment of the First Secretary, the second-in-command to North Korean Workers' Party General Secretary Kim Jong-un. It was expected that the outline of the First Secretary would be revealed at this plenary meeting, but nothing has been disclosed yet.
Korean Central News Agency reported on the 19th that the plenary meeting was adjourned the previous day, stating, “Members and alternate members of the Party Central Committee Political Bureau were summoned and elected, members and alternate members of the Party Central Committee were summoned and elected, and officials of state organs were dismissed and appointed.”
Judging from this announcement, the plenary meeting of the North Korean Workers' Party Central Committee has concluded, but it is observed that the appointment of the much-anticipated First Secretary has not been made.
North Korea amended the party charter at the 8th Party Congress held last January to establish the position of First Secretary, the 'deputy to the General Secretary,' and vested the election authority in the plenary meeting.
Accordingly, there was a possibility that the election for the First Secretary would take place at this plenary meeting, but until the closing, there was no information related to this.
Diplomatic circles analyze that it is unlikely that North Korea elected the First Secretary but did not disclose it.
If North Korea created the 'position' at the January party congress but has left it vacant for six months, it is highly likely that the position is intended for Kim Jong-un's successor. This is supported by the fact that Kim Jong-un once held the First Secretary position after the death of his father, Kim Jong-il.
Some suggest that the First Secretary position might be the most senior seat in the Secretariat. The charter stipulates, “The plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee shall elect (...) the First Secretary and Secretaries of the Party Central Committee,” mentioning the First Secretary alongside several Secretaries.
If the First Secretary is the highest-ranking among the Secretaries, it is highly likely that Jo Yong-won, who holds the position of Organization Secretary and enjoys Kim Jong-un's trust, is concurrently serving as First Secretary.
Park Jie-won, Director of the National Intelligence Service, recently stated at the National Assembly Intelligence Committee that even if Jo Yong-won becomes the First Secretary, Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister and Deputy Department Director, would be assigned the role of second-in-command.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
