Ministry of National Defence (North Korea)
North Korean government ministry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ministry of Defence (Korean: 국방성; formerly Ministry of the People's Armed Forces (Korean: 인민무력성; Hanja: 人民武力省)) is the government agency under the State Affairs Commission tasked with general administrative and logistical coordination of the Korean People's Army (KPA). The current Minister of National Defence is General No Kwang-chol.
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North Korea39°3′39″N 125°44′20″E
Flag used by the Ministry of Defence | |
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | North Korea |
| Headquarters | Pyongyang 39°3′39″N 125°44′20″E |
| Minister responsible | |
| Parent agency | State Affairs Commission |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 국방성 |
| Hanja | 國防省 |
| RR | Gukbangseong |
| MR | Kukpangsŏng |
History
Until December 1972, the Minister of the People's Armed Forces was called the Minister of National Defence (민족보위상).[1] It then changed to the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces.
Prior to 1992, it was under the direct control of supreme commander and president, with guidance from the National Defence Commission and the Workers' Party Central Military Commission. The 1992 amendment to the Constitution of North Korea shifts its control to the National Defence Commission. The 2016 amendment shifted its control to the State Affairs Commission.[citation needed] It was renamed to the Ministry of National Defence in October 2020.[2]
Duties
The Ministry of Defence handles the KPA's logistical, administrative, and diplomatic functions and components.[3][4][5] The ministry also coordinates relations with foreign militaries.[6][7]
Until the late 2000s, the General Staff Department (GSD)--which is responsible for the daily operational planning and management of the KPA's ground, naval, and air commands--and the General Political Bureau (GPB) fell under the ministry. During that time, the ministry conveyed the orders and guidance of the KPA Supreme Command[8] and--through the GSD and GPB--developed strategy, conducted education and training, and completed certain signals intelligence tasks.[9] However, the ministry's role is currently limited to military administration, logistics, and diplomacy.[10][11]
The ministry reportedly has or had departments tasked with regulating Government-owned corporations related to the defence industry and other foreign currency earning ventures.[12]
Departments
The Ministry of National Defence contains the following departments:[13]
Both the Director of the General Political Bureau and Chief of the General Staff have more power than the Minister.
Ministers of Defence
| No. | Portrait | Minister | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vice Marshal Choe Yong-gon 최용건 (1900–1976) | September 1948 | September 1957 | 9 years |  Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 2 | General Kim Kwang-hyop 김광협 (1915–1970) | September 1957 | October 1962 | 5 years, 1 month | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 3 | General Kim Chang-bong 김창봉 | October 1962 | December 1968 | 6 years, 2 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 4 | General Choe Hyon 최현 (1907–1982) | December 1968 | May 1976 | 7 years, 5 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 5 | Marshal O Jin-u 오진우 (1917–1995) | May 1976 | February 1995 | 18 years, 9 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 6 | Marshal Choe Kwang 최광 (1918–1997) | October 1995 | February 1997 | 1 year, 4 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 7 | Vice Marshal Kim Il-chol 김일철 (1933–2023) | February 1997 | February 2009 | 12 years |  Korean People's Navy | ||
| 8 | Vice Marshal Kim Yong-chun 김영춘 (1936–2018) | February 2009 | April 2012 | 3 years, 2 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 9 | Vice Marshal Kim Jong-gak 김정각 (born 1941) | April 2012 | November 2012 | 7 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 10 | General Kim Kyok-sik 김격식 (1938–2015) | November 2012 | May 2013 | 6 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 11 | General Jang Jong-nam 장정남 | May 2013 | June 2014 | 1 year, 1 month | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 12 | General Hyon Yong-chol 현영철 (1949–2015) | June 2014 | 12 May 2015 | 11 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| Unknown (12 May 2015 – 11 July 2015) | |||||||
| 13 | General Pak Yong-sik 박영식 (born 1950) | 11 July 2015 | 4 June 2018 | 2 years, 10 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 14 | General No Kwang-chol 노광철 (born 1956) | 4 June 2018 | December 2019 | 1 year, 6 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 15 | General Kim Jong-gwan 김정관 | December 2019 | 29 September[citation needed] 2021 | 1 year, 8 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 16 | Vice Marshal Ri Yong-gil 리영길 (born 1955) | 29 September[citation needed] 2021 | 31 December 2022 | 1 year, 3 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 17 | General Kang Sun-nam 강순남 | 31 December 2022[14] | 8 October 2024 | 1 year, 9 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
| 18 | General No Kwang-chol 노광철 (born 1956) | 8 October 2024[15] | Incumbent | 1 year, 7 months | Korean People's Army Ground Force | ||
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