North Korea’s Second In Command Sent For “Re-Education”

A memo on the briefing provided by Shins’ office cited the NIS as saying it has intelligence that Choe was sent to the farm for reeducation in early November.

Ruling Saenuri Party lawmaker Lee Cheol-woo said during a full session of the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee on Tuesday that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) relayed the news in a briefing on the man once widely regarded as Pyongyang’s second in command.

The reason for his exile is not known but the NIS said it may be because of differences of opinion with Kim, or because of the poor quality of construction of the Baekdusan Power Plant, said to be part of Choe’s remit. (Choe and Kim share family ties as well; a report earlier this year noted that Kim’s younger sister married Choe’s son.) Matters become blurry thereafter and, in April 2015, Hwang Pyong-so effectively confirmed his claim to the title of “number two” when he was given membership in the politburo presidium of North Korea’s Workers’ Party of Korea.

Only last September he was selected to visit Beijing as North Korea’s representative at China’s giant World War II victory anniversary parade.

Choe was still considered one of Kim’s top aides.

Analysts highlight that speculation had been building over the fate of Choe for some weeks now when he was not named as a member of a funeral committee for a North Korean Army marshal who recently died.

He had his powerful uncle Jang Song-Thaek executed in December 2012 on charges of treason and corruption.

North Korea has been showing signs indicating it is interested in improving relations with the South since a landmark agreement defused border tensions on August 25.

The spy service faced widespread criticism when it failed to predict North Korean artillery strikes on a South Korean island in 2010 because it ignored intercepted communications that indicated a possible attack.