North Korea Leadership Watch

Research and Analysis on the DPRK Leadership

Kim Yong Bok Elevated to GSD 1st Vice Chief

Col. Gen. Kim Yong Bok (Kim Yo’ng-pok) has been elevated to 1st Vice Chief of the Korean People’s Army [KPA] General Staff [GSD].   He was identified in that high command position when he issued […]

Aug, 25

Images of KPA Overseas Mission Return Performance

As part of a series of events held to mark the first group of military personnel returning from Russia, a performance was held at the 25 April House of Culture in Pyongyang on or around […]

Aug, 25

State Security Boss Does Moscow

Col. Gen. Ri Chang Dae (Ri Ch’ang-tae) Minister of State Security (State Security Department [SSD] Director) visited Russia to attend the 13th annual meeting of High Ranking Security Officers (held 27-29 May) sponsored by the […]

Jun, 02

KJU Meets Shoigu

Kim Jong Un (KJU; Kim Cho’ng-u’n) met Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian Security Council on 21 March (Friday).  This was Shoigu’s third visit to the DPRK since July 2023 and his second within the […]

Mar, 27

Guesstimating NK Troop Presence in Eastern Europe

According to the US Government, North Korea has about 12,000 personnel deployed to Russia.  Using the few, scant accurate details about the Korean People’s Army (KPA) deployment we might attain a general sense of the […]

Jan, 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

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

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