Kim Jong-gak (; born 20 July 1941)
, KCNA, 29 September 2010. is a

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) official. He was a member of the

Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea In North Korea, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), or simply the Politburo, formerly the Political Committee (1946–61), is the highest decision-making body in the ruling party between sessions ...

(WPK). He served as

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

briefly in 2012, and Director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA in 2018.

Biography

Kim Jong-gak was born in

Jungsan County Chŭngsan County is a '' kun'' (county) in South Pyongan Province, North Korea. Re-education Camp No. 11, a large prison mostly for repatriated refugees, is located in the northwestern part of Chŭngsan County. History The region was originally ...

, South Phyongan Province on 20 July 1941, and joined the

in August 1959. and later served in a number of capacities such as

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

commander, deputy commander of an army corps, chief of staff and head of a training center. He joined the Party leadership in December 1991, when he was appointed an alternate member of the

WPK Central Committee The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea is the highest organ between national meetings of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the ruling party of North Korea. According to WPK rules, the Central Committee is elected by the party co ...

at the 19th Plenary Meeting of the 6th Central Committee. In 1992 his duties grew again: in April, during

Kim Il Sung Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first Supreme Leader (North Korean title), supreme leader from North Korea#Founding, its establishm ...

's 80th birthday, he was promoted to

colonel-general Colonel general is a military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a rank above full , but be ...

, and in December he was appointed vice-minister of the People's Armed Forces. Since then, Kim Jong-gak's role grew. He was appointed administrator of the KPA's parades and performances in

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

, elected deputy 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 ...

starting from 1998, and promoted to general in April 2002. He was also put in charge of representing the KPA during receptions for foreign

military attache A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily Weapon, armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable ...

s. In October 2006, he gave the keynote speech to a Pyongyang rally supporting 9 October nuclear testing. In 2007, he was appointed first vice-director of the

KPA General Political Bureau The General Political Bureau (GPB) is a department of the Ministry of Defence, used by the leadership of the North Korean government to exert political control over the Korean People's Army (KPA). The GPB operates under the direction of the Centr ...

; starting from that year, he frequently accompanied

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 (North Korean title), supreme leader of North Korea from Death and state funeral of Kim Il Sung, the de ...

in his inspection tours. In August 2008, he gave the keynote speech during a meeting celebrating the anniversary of "Kim Jong-il's

Songun ''Songun'' () is the "military-first" policy of North Korea, prioritizing the Korean People's Army in the affairs of state and allocation of resources. "Military-first" as a principle guides political and economic life in North Korea, with " ...

leadership". At the opening of the 12th Supreme People's Assembly in 2009, he was elected to the newly expanded

National Defence Commission The National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (NDC) was the highest state institution for military and national defence leadership in North Korea, which also served as the highest governing institution of the countr ...

. In September 2010, at the 3rd Party Conference, he was promoted to Politburo alternate member and

Central Military Commission Central Military Commission may refer to: *Central Military Commission (China), the highest national defense organization in the People's Republic of China. *Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the highest body in Vietnam ...

member. General Kim Jong-gak was seen as one of the next generations of KPA leaders, along with Chief of General Staff Ri Yong-ho, as well as a key asset 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 ...

's rise to power."Gen. Kim Jong-gak's Rising Star"
North Korea Leadership Watch, 25 December 2009. He is also supposedly linked to

Jang Song-thaek Jang Song-thaek (January or February 1946 – 12 December 2013) was a North Korean politician. He was married to Kim Kyong-hui, the only daughter of North Korean premier Kim Il Sung and his first wife Kim Jong Suk, and only sister of North Kor ...

, Kim Jong Il's brother-in-law; notably, both of them were removed from limelight in 2003–2005, and were promoted to high positions in 2007. Kim Jong-gak's supposed part in ensuring the succession was enhanced in May 2010, when he presided over a military ceremony unveiling bronze statues of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and

Kim Jong-suk Kim Jong-suk (; 24 December 1917Suh Dae-sook. Kim Il Sung: The North Korean Leader. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988. – 22 September 1949) was a Korean revolutionary, anti-Japanese guerrilla, Communist activist, the first wi ...

. In April 2011, the

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

n newspaper ''Choson Ilbo'' said that Kim Jong-gak was working directly under Kim Jong Un."Kim Jong-il's Son 'Effectively Control Security Forces'"
''Chosun Ilbo'' (English Edition), 13 April 2011. After

Jo Myong-rok Jo Myong-rok ( 12 July 1928 – 6 November 2010) was a North Korean military officer who held the military rank Chasu (Vice Marshal). In 1998, he was appointed first vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea, Direct ...

's death in November 2010 left the post of KPA General Political Bureau director vacant, Kim Jong-gak probably worked as its acting chief until

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 ...

was appointed to fill the post in April 2012. After Kim Jong Il's death, on 15 February 2012, he was promoted to

Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (Air Vce Mshl or AVM) is an air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometime ...

; on 19 February, he wrote an article for ''

Rodong Sinmun ''Rodong Sinmun'' (; ) is a North Korean official newspaper of record of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. It was first published on 1 November 1945, as ''Chŏngro'' (), serving as a communication channel for the North ...

'' swearing an oath of "unwavering faith" to Supreme Commander

. On 10 April, in the wake of the controversial Kwangmyongsong-3 launch, he was appointed

Minister of People's Armed Forces The Ministry of Defence (, formerly 인민무력성/人民武力省 or Ministry of the People's Armed Forces) is the government agency under the State Affairs Commission tasked with general administrative and logistical coordination of the Kore ...

(

defence minister A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

), replacing

Kim Yong-Chun Kim Yong-chun (4 March 1936 – 16 August 2018) was a North Korean soldier and politician. He was a leader of the North Korean military. He held the North Korean military rank Chasu (Vice Marshal), was Vice Chairman of the National Defense Com ...

. He was replaced by

Kim Kyok-sik General Kim Kyok-sik (; 5 October 1938 – 10 May 2015) was a defence minister of North Korea. Biography Kim Kyok-sik was born in 1938. He studied at Kim Il-sung Military Academy before being moved to Syria as North Korea's military attach� ...

on 29 November 2012."North Korea appoints hardline general as armed forces minister"
The Guardian, 29 November 2012. Despite the latter's appointment, which was not reported by state media and confirmed only on 28 December as he was listed as defence minister at a reception for foreign military attache corps, Kim Jong-gak remained a member of the top leadership until 31 March 2013, when he was removed from the WPK Politburo and the National Defence Commission. He then held a minor position under the Kim Il Sung Military University as dean of its graduate school. On 9 February 2018,

North Korean media The mass media in North Korea is amongst the most strictly controlled in the world. The constitution nominally provides for freedom of speech and the press. However, the government routinely disregards these rights, and seeks to mold information ...

confirmed that Kim had replaced

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 ...

as the Director of the

General Political Bureau The General Political Bureau (GPB) is a department of the Ministry of Defence, used by the leadership of the North Korean government to exert political control over the Korean People's Army (KPA). The GPB operates under the direction of the Centr ...

of the KPA and was given back his party Politburo seat. In May, after a mere four months, he was in turn replaced by

Kim Su-gil Kim Su-gil (, born 1950) is a North Korean general and politician. He was the director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army (KPA) from when he replaced Kim Jong-gak in May 2018 until January 2021. Since 1 January 2023, h ...

Awards and honors

Kim could be seen wearing multiple decorations during a visit from a Cuban delegation. PRK Order of Kim Il Sung BAR

Order of Kim Il Sung The Order of Kim Il Sung () is the highest order of North Korea, along with the Order of Kim Jong Il, and only second to one honorary title, the Hero of Labour. The order, named after the country's first leader Kim Il Sung, was instituted in ...

Order of Kim Jong Il The Order of Kim Jong Il () is a North Korean order named after Kim Jong Il, the former leader of North Korea. It is the highest order of North Korea, along with the Order of Kim Il Sung, and only second to one honorary title, the Hero of Labou ...

DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 1st Class

Order of the National Flag First Class, five times FreedomAndIndependence1Ribbon

Order of Freedom and Independence First Class, twice DPRK Order of Labor

Order of Korean Labour, twice DPRK 20th Anniversary Order

Commemorative Order "Foundation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" KPA Foundation Commemorative Order

Commemorative Order "Anniversary of the Foundation of the People's Army" DPRK Order of Military Service Honor 1st Class

Order of Military Service Honour First Class, twice 30th Anniversary of the Publication of the Rural Theses Order ribbon

Commemorative Order "30th Anniversary of the Agricultural Presentation" PRK Order of the National Flag - 2nd Class BAR

Order of the National Flag Second Class, three times DPRK Order of Three Great Revolutions

Order of the Red Banner of Three Great Revolutions DPRK ribbon bar - Order of National Flag 3rd Class

Order of the National Flag Third Class Soldier's Medal of Honour Second Class, twice FatherlandLiberationRibbon

Commemorative Medal "Fatherland Liberation" Commemorative Medal "The Foundation of the People's Republic of Korea" Medal For Military Merit, three times Commemorative Medal "Pyongyang-Nampho Highway Construction" Commemorative Medal "Military Parade", three times

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Jong-gak North Korean generals 1941 births Members of the Supreme People's Assembly Living people Defence ministers of North Korea Alternate members of the 6th Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea Alternate members of the 7th Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 6th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea People from South Pyongan Province

Biography

Awards and honors

See also

References