Hyon Chol-hae
Hyon Chol -hae ( born 1934 ) is a North Korean politician of the Workers' Party of Korea ( WPK ) and Vice Marshal of the Korean People's Army ( KPA ), a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee (CC ) is currently the WPK and member of the National Defence Commission. He also served simultaneously as head of the Permanent Bureau of the National Defense Commission, and one of the deputy head of the department for organization leadership of the Central Committee and is also a member of the Party Central Committee and deputy of the Supreme People's Assembly. As head of the Permanent Bureau of the National Defense Commission, he directed the daily operations of this institution and coordinated the visits of Kim Jong -il at the units of the People's Army. In addition to his experience in political administration and military logistics, he was one of the close military advisers of Kim Il- sung and Kim Jong- il. In April 2012, he was First Vice - Minister of the People's Armed Forces, this office but lost in May 2013, Colonel General Jon Chang -bok.
Life
Rise to lieutenant general
After the visit of the Revolutionary school of Mangyongdae, an elite school for the children of deceased revolutionary fighters and top politicians and senior military personnel, Hyon Chol -hae served during the Korean War as a bodyguard of Kim Il-sung, and then studied at the Military Academy " Nicolae Bălcescu " in Romania. After that, he was one of the bodyguards Kim Il-sung again and worked as Deputy Head of Organization in the Political Department of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces after his promotion to major general in 1968. In the 1970s, he was dismissed from this function and was used later as director of training school for officers of the Rear Services of the People's Army.
After his promotion to lieutenant general in 1986, he was appointed Head of Logistic Department at the Ministry of People's Armed Forces and served in that role until 1995. At the 19th plenary session of the 6th Party Central Committee in December 1991 Hyon Chol -hae was first to the candidates of the Central Committee selected before he was elected at the 21st plenary session of the 6th Central Committee in December 1993 as a member of the Party Central Committee. In July 1994 he was one of the members of the funeral committee, during the state funeral for Kim Il-sung.
Member of the Politburo and First Deputy Secretary of Defense
After his promotion to General Hyon Chol -hae in 1995 was appointed deputy director of the Political Department of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces. In 1998 he was also the first elected deputies of the Supreme People's Assembly and re-elected in the 12th Supreme People's Assembly in both 2003 and 2009. In the Supreme People's Assembly, he is a member of the Qualification and Credentials Committee.
In April 2012, Hyon Chol -hae was promoted to Vice Marshal and appointed First Vice - Minister of the People's Armed Forces. He was also a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee and member of the Central Military Committee.
In the transitional period after the death of Kim Jong -il and the coming to power of Kim Jong-un has been speculated that it becomes a power struggle between him and Chang Sung- taek, who married the younger sister Kim Jong -il Kim Kyong -hui and vice Chairman of the National Defense Commission, arrived. Unlike Chang, who has considerable influence already because of his family ties, or the Head of the Operations Department of the General Staff, General Kim Myong- guk, who built a political network, based Hyons position of power only to his familiarity with Kim Il- sung and Kim Jong -il. In fact, he was replaced already on 16 May 2013 as the First Vice - Minister of the People's Armed Forces by Colonel General Jon Chang -bok. Four days earlier, Defense Minister Kim Kyok -sik has been replaced by Jang Jong -nam.