North Korea Leadership Watch

Research and Analysis on the DPRK Leadership

Ri Il Hwan, where you at?

Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Secretary Ri Il Hwan (Ri Il-hwan) has not appeared at public events or state media in about four weeks.  This is not necessarily a lengthy absence for a North Korean […]

Feb, 12

DID Cracks Down on Cadres

The 5 February edition of Rodong Sinmun has two editorials encouraging upright behavior and decrying corruption and abuse of power among North Korean officials and cadres.  The 30th meeting of the Workers’ Party of Korea […]

Feb, 10

KJU Observes Hypersonic IRBM Test

  Kim Jong Un (KJU; Kim Cho’ng-u’n) gave himself an early birthday present (8 January) and observed the test firing of an intermediate-range [IRBM] hypersonic missile during the early afternoon [KST] of 6 January.  Also […]

Jan, 06

Ri Son Gwon Comes Out for Ch’ongryo’n Photo-op

Kim Jong Un (KJU; Kim Cho’ng-u’n) came out to the Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Central Committee Office Building complex on 2 January for three commemorative photo-ops, the last of which was with student performers […]

Jan, 06

Plenary Personnel

North Korea made a series of personnel changes during the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) 11th plenary session, held December 23-December 27.  Although some analyses make far too much of the correlation between personnel and […]

Jan, 04

Kim Ki Nam Funeral Committee

Kim Ki Nam, former DPRK propaganda and culture chieftain, passed away due to old age and chronic health (“decrepitude and multiple organ dysfunction,” according to KCNA) at the age of 94 in Pyongyang on 7 […]

May, 08

Cabinet Ministries Hold Party Committee Meetings

Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Committees in DPRK Cabinet Ministries [hereafter, Cabinet Ministry Party Committees] held enlarged plenary meetings last between 14 March (Tuesday) and 17 March (Friday).  Expanded plenary sessions of the Ministry of […]

Mar, 22

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