Unification Ministry lists changes in North's leadership in new directory on officials
Published: 13 Jan. 2026, 18:06
![The Ministry of Unification releases a directory of North Korean officials by agency, key figure profiles and a power-structure chart on Jan. 13. [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/13/6471e605-6963-460a-bb24-5b8e88af49dd.jpg)
The Ministry of Unification releases a directory of North Korean officials by agency, key figure profiles and a power-structure chart on Jan. 13. [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]
South Korea’s Unification Ministry on Tuesday released its 2025 directory of North Korean officials by agency, adding that senior generals believed to have played key roles in Pyongyang’s troop deployment to Russia now stand out across the leadership lineup.
The ministry said it assessed that the posts of first vice minister of national defense and first vice chief of the General Staff Department have expanded from one official each to two. The newly listed officials are Cha Yong-bom, a lieutenant general serving as a first vice minister of national defense, and Kim Yong-bok, a colonel general serving as a first vice chief of the General Staff Department.
Military sources inside and outside of South Korea’s armed forces believe Kim oversaw troop management and tactics for North Korea’s special forces during the deployment, while Cha, described as first vice minister of national defense and head of the ministry’s General Bureau, coordinated logistics tied to the dispatch.
Cha was added to the European Union sanctions list in May 2025 on the grounds that he was identified as one of the senior commanders of North Korean troops deployed to Russia.
The two drew international attention in May 2025 at a military parade in Moscow marking the 80th anniversary of Russia’s Victory Day, when they saluted Russian President Vladimir Putin and shook hands with him.
Analysts say Kim Jong-un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission, has sought to frame the Russia deployment as a personal achievement that sets him apart from past leaders, and that he appears to have rewarded key military figures by placing them in important posts.
As North Korea continues to underscore the legitimacy and “results” of the deployment while packaging the economic and military gains as a rise in national prestige, experts broadly expect the two generals’ standing to remain secure for the time being.
![Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, meets with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui in Moscow, Russia, Oct. 27, 2025. [EPA/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/13/c0d55fd1-7233-4d54-8dc8-1a79ac87199c.jpg)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, meets with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui in Moscow, Russia, Oct. 27, 2025. [EPA/YONHAP]
The ministry also said North Korea appears to have reshuffled parts of Kim’s protective detail. The Workers’ Party guard chief responsible for the close protection of Kim and his family is now Song Jun-sol, a Korean People’s Army colonel general — formerly Han Sun-chol. The commander of the Guard Command, which protects Kim-related facilities and some senior officials, is now Ra Chol-jin, a lieutenant general — formerly Kwak Chang-sik.
Ro Yong-chol, a major general, is now the director of the State Affairs Commission Guard Department, which handles security during Kim’s overseas trips and other external activities, replacing Kim Chol-gyu. The director of the Guard Bureau, Kim Yong-ho, a lieutenant general, remains in his post. The Unification Ministry said the command changes were confirmed through last year’s parade marking the 80th anniversary of the Workers’ Party’s founding.
In the party and Cabinet, the ministry said personnel moves reflected the elevated role of Pak Thae-song, who became premier in December 2024 at a party plenary meeting. Pak was also listed as a member of the Politburo Presidium and as a vice chairman of the State Affairs Commission.
The ministry said the Politburo Presidium has shrunk from five members to four, after Ri Pyong-chol, a veteran of the munitions sector, was removed.
“We presume Ri Pyong-chol has stepped down from the Politburo Presidium and from his post as vice chairman of the party Central Military Commission, based on where he has been identified at public events, and his advanced age likely factored in as well,” a Unification Ministry official said.
![A North Korean general salutes Russian President Vladimir Putin at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2025. The South Korean government believes the person is Lt. Gen. Cha Yong-bom, first vice minister of national defense and director general of the General Bureau of North Korea. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/13/4743e864-91da-41ba-a8f4-3bbbe60de1d8.jpg)
A North Korean general salutes Russian President Vladimir Putin at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on May 9, 2025. The South Korean government believes the person is Lt. Gen. Cha Yong-bom, first vice minister of national defense and director general of the General Bureau of North Korea. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, widely seen as a key figure on North Korea’s U.S. policy and part of the leader's trusted circle, was also named a Politburo member.
The ministry said a power structure chart released alongside the directory reflects agency name changes following legal revisions last year, including the Ministry of Grain Management, formerly the Ministry of Food Procurement and Administration, and the Ministry of Disaster Prevention, formerly the State Emergency Disaster Committee.
It also mentioned the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office, formerly the Central Public Prosecutors Office, the Supreme Court, formerly the Central Court, and the General Reconnaissance Information Bureau, formerly the General Reconnaissance Bureau.
The ministry also said it believes North Korea has dismantled the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, an external organization under the party’s United Front Department that handled inter-Korean negotiations.
In January 2024, North Korea convened what it called a rally of workers in the “anti-enemy sector” to implement a policy shift on South Korea, declaring it would dissolve all bodies and groups that had operated under the banner of peaceful unification and improving inter-Korean ties. The move followed Kim’s directive at a party plenary meeting in December 2023 redefining inter-Korean relations from a shared national cause to relations between hostile states.
The 2025 directory contains information on 17,100 people affiliated with about 10,400 party, state and other organizations, along with the detailed profiles of 272 key figures, the ministry said. It added 19 profiles, including navy commander Pak Kwang-sop and removed 28 entries due to deaths or officials who have not been identified for years.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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