An Jong Su
An Jong Su (b) tours the Ku’mkop Foodstuffs Factory with Kim Jong Un in January 2016 Also in attendance was WPK Vice Chairman and WPK Political Bureau Member Choe Ryong Hae
updated February 25, 2018
An Jong Su (An Cho’ng-su) is a Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Vice Chairman and Director of the Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Light Industry Department. He is also a member of the WPK Political Bureau, member of the WPK Central Committee and a deputy (delegate) to the Supreme People’s Assembly.
An is a former manager in the DPRK’s consumer goods sector and former senior manager in the WPK Light Industry Department with his primary focus on textiles and clothing. He was appoined to the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly in April 2010 and appointed Minister of Light Industry under the DPRK Cabinet during the 3rd session of the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly on June 7, 2010.
An Jong Su with late DPRK leader at a textile factory in 2010
He was elected a Member of the WPK Central Committee during the 3rd Party Conference on September 28, 2010. An spoke about clothing and consumer goods during the 4th session of the 12th Supreme People’s Assembly on April 7, 2011. On October 6, 2011, An Jong Su greeted late DPRK leader Kim Jong Il during his visit to the P’yo’so’ng Synthetic Leather (pleather) Factory.
An Jong Su on an official state visit to Indonesia during 2012
An Jong Su was part of the travel party of Supreme People’s Assembly Presidium President Kim Yong Nam that visited Singapore and Indonesia during May 2012. Following the National Meeting of Light Industrial Workers in March 2013, An contributed an op-ed to Minju Joson supporting Kim Jong Un’s speech during the national meeting. An wrote that “by raising a strong wind for improving the quality of consumer goods at factories and enterprises, we will continue to direct great efforts to having them produce the necessities that are favorably received by the people and symbolize their units and the product that compare favorable with their counterparts even in foreign markets.”
An Jong Su (3rd from left) visits the Ryugyo’ng Pickle and Kimchi Factory with Kim Jong Un during June 2016
An was elected to the 13th Supreme People’s Assembly in March 2014. He was appointed director of the WPK Light Industry Department in April 2014 and routinely appears with Kim Jong Un during the latter’s on-site visits to consumer goods factories. During the 7th Congress of the WPK (7th Party Congress), An Jong Su was elected to the WPK Central Committee and re-appointed as director of the WPK Light Industry Department.
At the 2nd plenary meeting of the 7th WPK Central Committee, An was upgraded to the position of WPK Vice Chairman and elected a full member of the WPK Political Bureau.
An was born in 1951. He has close ties to DPRK Premier Pak Pong Ju and Kim Kyong Hui, Kim Jong Un’s aunt, and the long-time director of the WPK Light Industry Department.
An Jong Su
Director, WPK Light Industry Department
WPK Vice Chairman
Member, WPK Political Bureau
Member, WPK Central Committee
Deputy, Supreme People’s Assembly
Member, State Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission
2010: (June) Minister of Light Industry
(September) Elected, Member, 6th WPK Central Committee
(November) Member, Jo Myong Rok Funeral Committee
2011: (December) Member, Kim Jong Il Funeral Committee
2012: (November) Appointed, Member, State Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission
2014: (March) Elected, deputy, 13th Supreme People’s Assembly
(April) Appointed, Director of the WPK Light Industry Department
2015: (November) Member, Ri Ul Sol Funeral Committee
(December) Member, Kim Yang Gon Funeral Committee
2016: (May) Elected, Member, 7th WPK Central Committee
Appointed, Director of the WPK Light Industry Department
(May) Member, Kang Sok Ju Funeral Committee
2017: (October) Elected, WPK Vice Chairman
Elected, Member, WPK Political Bureau
Inteview data acquired by Michael Madden 2010-2016; “Third Session of 12th SPA,” Korean Central Broadcasting Station, June 7, 2010; “Members, Alternate Member of the WPK CC,” Korean Central News Agency, September 28, 2010; “4th session of 12th SPA Held on April 7,” Korean Central Broadcasting Station (in Korean), April 7, 2011; “Kim Jong Il Visits P’yo’ngso’ng Synthetlic Leather Plant,” Korean Central Broadcasting Station (in Korean), October 7, 2011; “SPA Presidium President Kim Yong Nam Meets with President of Singapore,” Korean Central News Agency, May 11, 2012; “SPA Presidium President Kim Yong Nam Meets with Indonesia President,” Korean Central News Agency, May 5, 2012; “Immortal Guideslines Brilliantly Indicating the Road Ahead for Development of Light Industry (Repercussions to the Programming Speech Made by Respected and Beloved Comrade Kim Jong Un at National Meeting of Light Industrial Workers,” by An Jong Su, Minju Joson (in Korean), March 20, 2013; “N. Korea Names New Light Industry Minister,” Yonhap News Agency, February 17, 2015; “Report of the Central Election Committee on the Election Results of deputies to the 13th Supreme People’s Assembly,” Korean Central News Agency (in Korean), March 11, 2014; “State Funeral Committee for Ri Ul Sol,” Rodong Sinmun (in Korean), November 9, 2015; “State Funeral Committee for Kim Yang Gon,” Rodong Sinmun (in Korean), December 30, 2015; “Fourth and Final Day of the 7th Party Congress,” NK Leadership Watch, May 10, 2016; “WPK Central Committee and WPK Central Auditing Commission Meet,” NK Leadership Watch, May 10, 2016; “State Funeral Committee for Kang Sok Ju,” Rodong Sinmun (in Korean), May 21, 2016
