North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has orchestrated a major reshuffle in the party’s disciplinary and inspection divisions following a plenary meeting of the Workers’ Party, which was convened to assess the first half of the year. After publicly addressing corruption allegations against military officials, Kim replaced the head of the Organizational Guidance Department just four months after their appointment, signaling a renewed crackdown on party discipline.
According to the party’s official newspaper Rodong Sinmun on Tuesday, North Korea implemented a personnel overhaul during the expanded meeting of the 2nd Plenary Session of the 9th Central Committee, held over three days starting on June 20. This reshuffle involved replacing the organizational secretary and head of the Organizational Guidance Department, key figures responsible for maintaining party discipline.
Kim Jae-ryong, who was appointed as the head of the Organizational Department and organizational secretary at the 9th Party Congress in February, has been removed from all positions. It is believed that Kim Jae-ryong was also ousted from the Politburo’s Standing Committee, the party’s highest decision-making body, effectively ending his political career.
Jo Yong-won has been named as the new head of organizational affairs. Jo, who previously held this position, has returned to the role of overseeing party organizational work just three months after being appointed as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly (equivalent to Speaker of Parliament) and First Deputy Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, the second-highest position in the government.
The Organizational Guidance Department of the Workers’ Party is a crucial entity in North Korea’s power structure, overseeing personnel appointments and internal inspections. The organizational secretary manages these tasks and reports directly to Kim Jong Un. While the department head typically handles day-to-day operations, under Kim’s leadership, it has been common for one individual to hold both positions.
This reshuffle aligns with Kim Jong Un’s ongoing emphasis on party discipline and anti-corruption efforts since taking power. The newspaper reported that Park Hee-chul, the head of the military’s Political Bureau’s Organizational Department, is under investigation for corruption allegations. It is unprecedented for North Korea to publicly name specific military officials in corruption cases during plenary meeting reports, suggesting a deliberate message behind this disclosure.
Given that the military’s General Political Bureau oversees political affairs rather than military command, and that the Organizational Department head is responsible for maintaining discipline among officials, the Rodong Sinmun report appears to be sending a strong nationwide warning about serious issues within the party’s political affairs.
The newspaper also highlighted administrative issues, noting that some city and county-level operations had deviated from party directives, leading to criticism and self-examination.
Kim Jong Un Vows to Eradicate Privilege, Bureaucracy and Corruption, but Breaking Entrenched Practices Won’t Be Easy
North Korea has consistently emphasized the need to root out favoritism, bureaucracy, and corruption through recent plenary meetings and party congresses. This focus likely stems from persistent issues of official misconduct and abuse of power during the country’s economic development and system restructuring efforts.
Some analysts suggest that the corrupt practices among officials, which were widespread before Kim Jong Un’s leadership, have not been fully eradicated.
In 2020, when material misappropriation issues arose during the construction of the Pyongyang General Hospital, Kim Jong Un publicly criticized the officials involved. In 2021, he designated the COVID-19 outbreak as a grave incident and dismissed health officials. In 2022, he publicly reprimanded officials from the State Emergency Quarantine Command for negligence in medical supply distribution during an emergency Politburo meeting.
Furthermore, in 2024, Kim criticized the irresponsible attitudes of some local officials during the construction of local industrial factories and disaster recovery efforts. Last year, he condemned instances of drinking, excessive hospitality, and abuse of power among party officials, strongly criticizing behaviors that placed officials above the people.
Notably, Jo, often referred to as Kim Jong Un’s chief of staff, returning to the roles of organizational secretary and department head signals Kim’s intention to personally oversee anti-corruption and disciplinary measures. This move aims to tighten control and increase scrutiny across the party, military, and government by entrusting these crucial responsibilities to a close confidant.
Professor Lim Eum-chul from Kyungnam University’s Institute of East Asian Studies commented that the level of corruption and insubordination among bureaucrats and military officials may have reached an intolerable level for Kim Jong Un. This action clearly demonstrates that the hierarchy or protocol of state institutions like the Supreme People’s Assembly is insignificant compared to the party’s needs for appointments and control, thus reinforcing Kim’s party-centric governance model.