Jon Pyong-ho (, 20 March 1926 – 7 July 2014) was a North Korean officer and politician who served as the Chief Secretary of the Korean Workers Party (KWP) Committee of the North Korean Cabinet, and director of the DPRK Cabinet Political Bureau before his retirement in 2010. Jon was described as the 'Chief architect of

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 Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

's nuclear programme'. Jon was a general of the Korean People's Army and a close adviser to the late

Kim Jong-il Kim Jong Il (born Yuri Kim; 16 February 1941 or 1942 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from the death of his father Kim Il Sung in 1994 until his death in 2011, when he was ...

. Jon played a key role in the production and development of North Korean defense industry for more than four decades before retiring in 2011. Jon supervised the development of the country's long-range ballistic missile programmes and was involved with its first test of a nuclear device in 2006 directly. Jon was reported to help broker a deal with Pakistan during the 1990s that gave North Korea critical technology for its uranium enrichment programme in exchange for North Korea's missile technology. Jon was sanctioned by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

as a result of his involvement in the country's nuclear and missile weapons programmes. He was born in

Musan County Musan County is a county in central North Hamgyong province, North Korea. It borders the People's Republic of China to the north, across the Tumen River. It is divided into one ''ŭp'', six labor districts, and fifteen ''ri''. The county seat ...

, in

North Hamgyong Province North Hamgyong Province (Hamgyŏngbukdo, ) is the northernmost province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Hamgyong Province. Geography The province is bordered by China (Jilin) to the north, S ...

, and was educated at the Ural Engineering College in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, where he graduated in 1950. He has since held a number of positions within the North Korean military and government, and was appointed member of the National Defense Commission in February 2009. In December 2011, he was named as one of the members of the funeral committee for the late

supreme leader A supreme leader or supreme ruler typically refers to powerful figures with an unchallenged authority, such as autocrats, dictators to spiritual and revolutionary leaders. Historic examples are Adolf Hitler () of Nazi Germany, Francisco ...

. He has been described as "a talented writer with an excellent knowledge of policy and process."

Death and funeral

On 7 July 2014 Jon Pyong-ho died of acute myocardial infarction at the age of 88. He was awarded a state funeral, attended by

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...

. The funeral commission of Jon Pyong-ho, chaired by Kim Jong-un, was composed of the following individuals: #

Kim Yong-nam Kim Yong-nam (; born 4 February 1928) is a North Korean retired politician who served as the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, from 1998 until 2019. Due to holding the office, he was considered the hea ...

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Hwang Pyong-so Hwang Pyong-so (born c. 1946 or 1949) is a North Korean general and politician who held the rank of Vice Marshal (, ''Ch'asu'') in the Korean People's Army (KPA). He was a member of the Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea and the top-ranki ...

Ri Yong-gil Ri Yong-gil (, born 1952) is a North Korean military officer who is currently a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and the Chief of the General Staff. Career Ri was made a Lieutenant General in Ap ...

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# Kim Ki-nam # Choe Tae-bok #

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Kang Sok-ju Kang Sok-ju (; ; August 29, 1939 – May 20, 2016
on Ri Yong-mu Ri Yong-mu (; 25 January 1925 – 27 January 2022) was a North Korean senior official who was a member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea, vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea and vice-marshal of the Korea ...

O Kuk-ryol O Kuk-ryol (, 7 January 1930 – 9 February 2023) was a North Korean military general. He was Chief of General Staff of the Korean People's Army from 1979 to 1988. He also served as vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Ko ...

Kim Won-hong Kim Won-hong (; born 17 July 1945) is a North Korean politician and military general. Early life and education Kim was born in what is now North Korea's North Hwanghae Province. He graduated from the Workers' Party of Korea's Kim Il-sung Highe ...

Kim Yang-gon Kim Yang-gon (, 24 April 1942 – 29 December 2015) was a North Korean politician and a senior official of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. Early career Kim Yang-gon started his political career as a vice-director of the party's Internation ...

# Kim Phyong-hae #

Kwak Pom-gi Kwak Pom-gi (; born 20 November 1939) is a North Korean government official. After graduating from Huichon Industrial College, he began his career in 1983 as a machine factory manager, progressing through the machinery bureau of the Workers' P ...

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Choe Pu-il General Choe Pu-il (; born 6 March 1944) is a North Korean politician who served as head of North Korea's Ministry of Social Security (North Korea), Ministry of People's Security. Biography In April 1992, he was promoted to major general and to ...

Ro Tu-chol Ro Tu-chol (, born 2 October 1950) is a Vice Premier of North Korea's cabinet and the Chairman of the State Planning Commission. During Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev's three-day visit to Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capita ...

Jo Yon-jun Jo Yon-jun (born September 28, 1937) is a North Korean politician. Jo is a candidate member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and former first deputy in the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD) of the Central Committee ...

Ri Il-hwan Ri Il-hwan (, born 1960) is a North Korean politician and a member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea, Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). ...

# Kim Man-song #

Han Kwang-bok Han Kwang-bok () is a North Korean politician who served as Vice Premier. She was born in the 1940s in the North Hamgyong Province, North Korea. She also served as the Minister for the Electronics Industry until she was replaced on 15 October 20 ...

O Il-jong O Il-jong (, born 1954) is a North Korean politician and four-star general () of the Korean People's Army. Biography O Il-jong was born in 1954 in Pyongyang. A graduate of economics at the Kim Il Sung University and Kim Il Sung Military Universi ...

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# Kim Jong-im # Kim Jung-hyop # Han Kwang-sang # Hong In-bom # Kim Kyong-ok # Ri Jae-il #

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# Jon Il-chun # Jong Myong-hak # Kim Hi-taek # Kang Kwan-il # Hong Yong-chil # Hong Sung-mu #

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# Rim Chun-song #

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# So Hong-chan #

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# Ryom Chol-song # Jo Kyong-chol # Yun Tong-hyon #

Kang Phyo-yong Kang Phyo-yong () is a North Korean military officer and politician. He holds the rank of Lieutenant General in the Korean People's Army Ground Force. , he is a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. Career In October ...

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Ri Pyong-chol Ri Pyong-chol (, born 1948) is a North Korean military official and formerly a top advisor of supreme leader Kim Jong Un, who serves as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission and a member of the Presidium of the Politburo of the Work ...

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# O Kum-chol #

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# Kim Jong-gwan #

No Kwang-chol No Kwang-chol (; born 1956) is a North Korean soldier, a four-star general, and a member of the political bureau, who is the current minister of Defence. Biography No was born in 1956. He was elected as a member of the Supreme People's Assembly ...

# Tong Yong-il # Ri Chang-han # Ri Yong-ju # Ri Gyu-man # Jong Yong-hak # Kim Thae-gu # Rim Un-guk # Kim Su-hak # Pak Gwan-bok # Yun Pyong-gwon # An Ji-yong # Ju Dong-chol # Choe Jae-bok #

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# Pak Tae-song #

Ri Man-gon Ri Man-gon (born 1945) is a North Korean politician who served as Director of the Organization and Guidance Department and Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea from 2019 to 2020. He was formerly a member of the Politburo of the Workers' P ...

# Jon Sung-hun #

Pak Yong-ho Pak Yong-ho (born May 29, 1974) is a former South Korean football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, footb ...

# Pak Tae-dok #

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# Ri Sang-won # Kang Yang-mo # Rim Kyong-man # Jo Chun Ryong #

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# Choe Chun-sik # Ri Je-son #

Yu Jin Yu Jin (died September 221), courtesy name Wenze, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He joined Cao Cao in 192 around the start of the civil wars leading to the collapse o ...

# Ri Song-hak

Awards and honors

A frame displaying Jon's decorations was placed at the foot of his bier during his funeral.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jon, Pyong-Ho North Korean generals 1926 births 2014 deaths People from Musan County People from North Hamgyong Province Members of the 6th Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 5th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 6th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea