'Masked Man' Appears in North Korea Missile Drill... Even Mosaic Applied?

Key Military Figures with Covered Faces... Possible Missile General Director
"Seem to Hide Identity to Maintain Security and Avoid Sanctions"

Attention is focused on the identity of the 'masked man' who appeared at the missile launch site that North Korea claimed was a 'nuclear strike tactical ballistic missile launch drill' aimed at the South. In the photo released by the North, the person in question is dressed in military uniform and stands beside Chairman Kim Jong-un, watching the missile launch, but is uniquely wearing a mask and sunglasses alone and has been unusually mosaic-censored.

According to the Korean Central News Agency on the 20th, North Korea conducted a 'comprehensive tactical drill simulating nuclear counterattack by tactical nuclear operation units' over two days from the 18th to the 19th. The agency described the short-range ballistic missile launched into the East Sea the previous morning as a "tactical ballistic missile launch drill simulating a nuclear strike on key enemy (South Korean) targets," and released photos showing Chairman Kim and those around him.

North Korea Conducts "Comprehensive Tactical Exercise Simulating Nuclear Retaliation on the 18th-19th"

In the photos, four key military officials appear beside Chairman Kim along with his daughter, Ju-ae. Among them, the person standing at the far right is the only one wearing a mask and sunglasses, thoroughly concealing their identity. The fact that this individual was mosaic-censored is considered highly unusual. It is rare for North Korea’s main state media to obscure the faces of official event attendees to this extent. North Korea has previously used mosaic censorship only to cover Western companies’ advertisements during overseas sports broadcasts or to edit out purged individuals posthumously.

Based on the report, the 'masked man' appears to be an important figure related to nuclear or missile affairs. According to the agency, the drill was observed by Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam, the combined unit commander who oversees tactical nuclear operation units, missile military commanders from the eastern and western fronts, officials from the Party Central Committee, commanders of the Missile General Bureau, and personnel from the nuclear weapons research institute.

Some speculate that the mosaic-censored individual could be the combined unit commander who commands the tactical nuclear operation units or the never-before-revealed head of the Missile General Bureau. The rank insignia of the 'masked man' is estimated to be that of a lieutenant general, a corps commander-level officer in North Korea, supporting this possibility.

North Korea "Comprehensive Tactical Exercise Simulating Nuclear Retaliation on the 18th-19th"

Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies, stated, "The person mentioned in the Korean Central News Agency report could be a key unit commander, a core nuclear force operative, or a bodyguard of Kim Ju-ae," adding, "North Korea may be concealing the identity to maintain security and prevent the individual from becoming subject to sanctions."

At a regular briefing held at the Government Seoul Office on the same day, Unification Ministry spokesperson Koo Byung-sam said, "It is difficult to identify the individual from the photo for now," and added, "We will analyze this with relevant agencies."

Meanwhile, the Unification Ministry expressed strong regret over North Korea’s raising of nuclear threat levels aimed at the South by conducting the 'comprehensive tactical drill simulating nuclear counterattack by tactical nuclear operation units' on the 18th and 19th. A ministry official said, "We deeply regret North Korea’s slander of our annual defensive drills as 'aggressive war exercises' and its shameless nuclear threats," emphasizing once again, "The cause and responsibility for the crisis on the Korean Peninsula clearly lie in North Korea’s reckless nuclear development."