By Zachary Keck
With his upcoming trip to Russia, Choe Ryong-hae appears to have regained his position as North Korea’s number two.
With his impending trip to Russia, Choe Ryong-hae appears to have regained his position as the second most powerful figure in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
As Clint previously noted, North Korean state media outlets are reporting that Choe will travel to Russia sometime in the near future to serve as Kim Jong-un’s personal envoy in meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In and of itself, the decision to send Choe is not surprising as he is a long-time veteran of the regime who is often used as the Supreme Commander’s personal envoy to foreign leaders. For example, back in May 2013, Choe traveled to China on behalf of Kim to meet with President Xi Jinping. He also was part of the group of senior DPRK leaders that made a surprise trip to South Korea last month.
On the other hand, the news is surprising because Hwang Pyong-so was believed to have supplemented Choe as the second most powerful figure in the DPRK regime after Kim Jong-un. Following the purge and execution of Kim’s uncle, Jang Song-thaek, last December, Choe was almost unanimously seen as North Korea’s number two. However, earlier this year Choe began relinquishing many of his top positions to Hwang, including chief of the General Political Bureau of the army and vice chairman of the National Defense Commission.
Read the full story at The Diplomat