Third Floor
New Study on Office #39
The US Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute’s Letort Papers series (SSI and the Letort series produce fascinating and excellent scholarship) has published a comprehensive study on the activities of Office #39. In Criminal Sovereignty: […]
Kim Kyong Hui Biography
A bit later than announced, but this is one version of biographical and career data I prepared on Kim Jong Il’s younger sister, Kim Kyong Hui. Ms. Kim is a charter member of KJI’s inner […]
Jang's Men at United Front Department?
Ri Kwang-gun, the DPRK’s former Minister of Foreign Trade, has become a deputy director in support of Kim Yang-gon at the KWP United Front Department which coordinates the country’s relations with the ROK. Yonhap reports […]
ICG Study on NK Under UN Sanctions
The International Crisis Group has published a study as an Update Briefing under the title North Korea Under Tightening Sanctions. The study suggests that the recent UN sanctions, currency redenomination and the unfolding succession campaign […]
KIS Memoirist Says ROK Denied Asylum Claim
Yonhap reports that Kim Jong-ryul, an Austrian-based former Kim Il-sung Personal Secretariat employee who has released a memoir, claims that in 2006 the ROK Embassy in Vienna rejected his claim for asylum: “But it fell […]
Jon Il-chun, Director-General of State Development Bank
The DPRK has announced the first meeting of its State Development Bank, which took place at the Yanggankdo Hotel in Pyongyang. According to KCNA: The board of directors is made up of representatives of the […]
Ri Chol to Leave as UN & CH Diplorep
Yonhap, citing a source in Berne and general diplo gossip, reports that Ri Chol is leaving his posts. He is concurrently the DPRK’s Ambassador to Switzerland and to the UN Mission in Geneva. While Ambassador […]
