DPRK LEADERSHIP - CHOSEN SOREN REPORTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SEOUL 08139 GENEVA PLEASE PASS TO GALLUCCI DELEGATION E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR TAGS: PREL PGOV KS KN JA SUBJECT: DPRK LEADERSHIP - CHOSEN SOREN REPORTS ¶1. CONFIDENTIAL - ENTIRE TEXT. ¶2. SUMMARY. ON SEPTEMBER 24, THE DCM MET WITH A LEADING JAPANESE EXPERT ON NORTH KOREA, WHO REPORTED ON THE LEADERSHIP DYNAMICS INSIDE THE DPRK; THE DEVELOPING RESPONSIBILITIES OF CERTAIN DPRK OFFICIALS; AND THE EMERGING ROLE OF CHOSEN SOREN IN JAPANESE-DPRK RELATIONS. END SUMMARY. ¶3. PROF. HAJIME IZUMI, AN ACADEMIC WELL KNOWN TO USG OFFICIALS AND REGARDED AS ONE OF JAPAN'S LEADING AUTHORITIES ON NORTH KOREA, MET WITH THE DCM ON SEPTEMBER 24 TO OUTLINE CHOSEN SOREN'S INFORMATION ON EMERGING NORTH KOREAN LEADERS. IZUMI STATED THAT AFTER KIM JONG IL, THE MOST POWERFUL EMERGING FIGURES IN THE DPRK WERE HIS SISTER, KIM KYUNG HEE, AND HER HUSBAND, CHANG SANG TAEK. KIM IS CHAIR OF THE POLICY INVESTMENT COMMITTEE, IN CHARGE OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL PROCUREMENT OF GOODS. CHANG'S POSITION APPARENTLY INCLUDES RESPONSIBILITY FOR KIM JONG IL'S BODYGUARDS. IZUMI STATED THAT, ACCORDING TO CHOSEN SOREN, THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS APPEARED TO BE TAKING ON RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE DPRK: KIM YOUNG SUN (ROK-DPRK RELATIONS),SOME DPRK-US; HWANG JANG YOP (DPRK-RUSSIA); CHOI RYUN HEE (ROK-DPRK "SPORTS DIPLOMACY"); AND HYON CHONG GUK (DPRK-JAPAN). IZUMI SAID THAT KIM JONG IL DIRECTLY SUPERVISES THE DPRK-US RELATIONSHIP. ¶4. IZUMI IDENTIFIED HYON CHONG GUK AS THE FORMER DPRK AMBASSADOR TO THE PRC AND EDITOR OF THE NODONG SHINMUN. HE OBSERVED THAT KIM DAL HYUN AND YOON HYUN MOK ARE EXPECTED TO RE-EMERGE WITH NEW RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE NEAR FUTURE. ¶5. IZUMI CLAIMED MUCH OF HIS BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION WAS CORROBORATED BY ANTONIO INOKI, THE PRO WRESTLER-TURNED PARLIAMENTARIAN WHO RECENTLY HAD VISITED NORTH KOREA. HE ALSO ASSERTED THAT THE CHOSEN SOREN INCREASINGLY HAD TAKEN THE ROLE OF A SEMI-OFFICIAL DPRK REPRESENTATIVE IN JAPAN, AND THAT THE JAPANESE CABINET RESEARCH OFFICE HAD BEGUN MEETING WITH CHOSEN SOREN OFFICIALS. LANEY