Pak Jong-chon () is a

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

and a member of the

Presidium of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea The Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Workers' Party of Korea, or simply the Presidium, and formerly known as the Standing Committee (1946–61), is a committee consisting of the top leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea. Historic ...

Biography

In 2014, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the General Staff and Chief of Fire Command at the General Staff. However, he was demoted to Major General in 2015 and the Deputy Chief of Staff was fired. In 2016 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and was elected a member of the

Central Committee Central committee is the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, of both ruling and nonruling parties of former and existing socialist states. In such party organizations, the ...

of the

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) is the founding and sole ruling party of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea. Founded in 1949 from the merger of the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party ...

and Director General of the General Staff Department. He was promoted to Colonel General in 2017. He was promoted to General of the Army on April 14, 2019, and was appointed Chief of Staff of the

General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...

of the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) is the military force of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Under the '' Songun'' policy, it is the central institution of North Korean society. Currently, WPK General S ...

, having replaced

Ri Yong-gil Ri Yong-gil (, born 1955) is a North Korean military officer and the current Minister of Social Security. He is believed to have been in his 60s when appointed to his position as a general in 2013. Ri was made a Lieutenant General in April 200 ...

. The appointment is attributed to the successful launch of the new short-range ballistic missile as Artillery Director. Pak also accompanied

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's sec ...

to the ceremony to the upgrading of the status of

Samjiyon Samjiyŏn is a city in Ryanggang Province, North Korea. It takes its name from three lakes in the city, which are collectively known as the Samjiyŏn. Samjiyŏn is situated near Mount Paektu, and tour groups fly to the city's airport to see th ...

from a county (kun) status to a city which was described by the news as a socialist "paradise". He also has accompanied Kim Jong-un to Mt. Paektu and was seen riding near him on a horse. On May 23, 2020, Pak was promoted to vice marshal. He is often considered a "rising star" in the North Korean power hierarchy. On 5 October 2020, Pak was promoted to Marshal of the Korean People's Army. He was reportedly stripped of his Marshal title and demoted to alternate Politburo member in June 2021, following an unspecified "grave incident". In September, however, he was promoted to member of the Politburo Presidium and transferred from his military role to a position as secretary of the Central Committee. On 25 April 2022 he was disclosed as a vice chairman of the

Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea The Central Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (CMC) () is an organ of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) which is responsible for coordinating the Party organizations within the ...

. On 1 January 2023, he was removed as the vice chairman of the CMC.

References

, - , - , - Members of the Supreme People's Assembly Korean communists North Korean military personnel Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Members of the 8th Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea {{NorthKorea-mil-bio-stub