New North Korean Cabinet Body "Disaster Prevention Ministry" Identified... National Emergency Disaster Committee Likely Reorganized

It has been revealed that North Korea is operating a new cabinet body called the "Disaster Prevention Ministry."

According to the Ministry of Unification on July 4, a new cabinet body with the name "Disaster Prevention Ministry" was identified in the 8 p.m. news broadcast of Korean Central Television the previous day. The report showed a space that appeared to be a situation room, with a caption at the bottom reading, "Monsoon Season Damage Prevention Project - From the Disaster Prevention Ministry."

In a follow-up report, Korean Central Television conducted an interview with a person named "Heo Cheolhun," who was identified as a member of the Disaster Prevention Ministry. Last July, Heo Cheolhun appeared on Korean Central Television as a section chief of the National Emergency Disaster Committee.

Authorities believe there is a high possibility that the existing National Emergency Disaster Committee, a North Korean cabinet agency, has been reorganized into the Disaster Prevention Ministry, an administrative body at the ministry level. In fact, the office space of the Disaster Prevention Ministry shown in the report was identical to the office space of the National Emergency Disaster Committee that was revealed in Rodong Sinmun last July. The government’s analysis is that the committee structure may have been changed to a ministry-level body because the committee format was seen as dispersing responsibility and authority.

The Ministry of Unification stated, "There is a high possibility that the existing cabinet agency, the National Emergency Disaster Committee, has been reorganized into the Disaster Prevention Ministry for more effective disaster response," adding, "We will continue to monitor the situation closely in the future."