Hwang Pyong-so (born c. 1946 or 1949) 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 Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

n general and politician who held the rank of Vice Marshal (, ''Ch'asu'') in the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Ground Force, the Ko ...

(KPA). He was a member of the

Presidium A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some countries' political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one. The term is also sometimes used for the ...

of the

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), also called the Korean Workers' Party (KWP), is the sole ruling party of North Korea. Founded in 1949 from a merger between the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea, the WPK is ...

and the top-ranking vice-chairman of the State Affairs Commission.

Biography

Hwang has probably spent most of his career in the

Organization and Guidance Department The Organization and Guidance Department (OGD), or the Organizational Leadership Department (Official translation in North Korea) created in 1946, is a department of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the ruling party of ...

(OGD), gaining reputation as the organization's '' éminence grise''. In September 2010, Hwang was appointed an alternate member of the Party Central Committee, holding the position of deputy head of the OGD since the early 2000s with a military and security portfolio. In March 2014 he was elected to the

Supreme People's Assembly The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; ) is the legislature of North Korea. It is ostensibly the highest organ of state power and the only branch of government in North Korea, with all state organs subservient to it under the principle of unified ...

during the 2014 SPA election; during the same month, he was identified as the first vice-director of the party organization department. On April 28, 2014 Korean Central News Agency reported that the

Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea The Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (CMC) () is an organ of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) which heads the Korean People's Army (KPA). One of the CMC's primary functions is to authorize ...

and National Defense Commission promoted Hwang to the rank of vice marshal in the

(KPA) on April 26. He was first seen wearing the four stars of a full general on April 15, meaning he moved up two ranks – from colonel general in a short time. In an April 27 KCNA report on an artillery drill, Hwang was referred to for the first time as a member of the party Central Military Commission. Later on May 1 he was revealed to be the new chief of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, considered the most senior position in the military after the supreme commander. On September 25 he also replaced former No. 2

Choe Ryong-hae Choe Ryong-hae (; born 15 January 1950) is a North Korean politician and military officer who currently serves as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and First Vice President of the State Affairs Commission, hol ...

in his last military capacity as first vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission, retaining the position as the NDC was transformed into the State Affairs Commission on 29 June 2016. On 18 February 2015 he was elevated to the top Presidium during a Politburo meeting. Hwang Pyong-so is seen as a key aide to

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 ...

. Hwang is widely reported to have been a university classmate of Kim's aunt Kim Kyong-hui and reportedly maintained close ties with Kim Jong Un's mother

Ko Yong-hui Ko Yong-hui (; ; 26 June 1952 – 13 August 2004), also spelled Ko Young-hee, was the mistress of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Il and the mother of his successor, Kim Jong Un. Within North Korea, she is only referred to by titles, such ...

. Hwang's appearance at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games in the absence of Kim Jong Un, and his subsequent trip to South Korea, led to speculation in the Western press about his role within the North Korean government. In November 2017, according to South Korean intelligence, Hwang was facing unspecified punishment. On 9 February 2018, North Korean media confirmed that Hwang Pyong-so had been replaced by Kim Jong-gak as the Director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA. Hwang was soon rehabilitated, reappearing in public in February 2018. In December 2018, the South Korean Ministry of Unification reported that Hwang held the post of First Vice-chairman of the

Awards and honors

A picture of Hwang shows him wearing the ribbons to all decorations awarded to him.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hwang, Pyong-so North Korean generals 1949 births Members of the Supreme People's Assembly Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Alternate members of the 6th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 6th Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 7th Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea Pyong-so