North Korea’s General Political Bureau Director, Jong Kyong-thaek, Simultaneously Sanctioned by South Korea, U.S., and EU
Jong Kyong-thaek, head of North Korea's General Political Bureau, faces sanctions from South Korea, the U.S., and the EU for various violations, including human rights abuses and nuclear missile development. His rapid and unconventional rise to Director of the General Political Bureau under Kim Jong-un's leadership is noteworthy.
The General Political Bureau in North Korea oversees political surveillance, propaganda, soldier indoctrination, loyalty assessments, and ideological monitoring. Jong Kyong-thaek's move from leading the Ministry of State Security to heading the General Political Bureau reflects significant internal power struggles within the military leadership.
Born in 1960, Jong Kyong-thaek, with an elite background, is the son of former deputy prime minister Jong Jun-thaek from North Korea's Kim Il-sung era. To commemorate the former deputy prime minister, who passed away in 1973, North Korea named the Wonsan University of Economics "Jong Jun-thaek University. He graduated at the top of his class from Kim Chaek University of Technology and initially worked in defense science before joining the Ministry of State Security in 2009.
Jong, known for his meticulous control and focus on principles and ideology, rose to prominence as Deputy Director of Organization and Guidance Department of WPK for state security in 2016.
In October 2017, he replaced Kim Won-hong as the head of North Korea's secretive police, the Ministry of State Security. This agency oversees ideological monitoring, identifies regime dissenters, manages political prisoner camps, and conducts intelligence operations to protect the Kim family's rule.
In a new power structure revealed by Rodong Sinmun on April 13, 2019, Jong Kyong-thaek, the Minister of the State Security, was seen on the left in the back row. (Photo: Rodong Sinmun)
In May 2020, he became a General in the People's Army but was demoted to 'Colonel General' for the failed border closure efforts, including defectors returning from Kaesong.
In September 2021, he succeeded Commander Pak Jong-chon in the National Emergency Quarantine Command, becoming the top official in epidemic control.
In April 2022, Jong Kyong-thaek led a Ministry of State Security delegation in the military parade marking the Korean People's Army's 90th anniversary. He faces ongoing sanctions from the U.S., EU, and South Korea for human rights abuses.
In December 2018, the U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Jong Kyong-thaek for cyberattacks, serious human rights abuses, and censorship activities. In March 2021, the EU followed suit, imposing sanctions on him for enforcing oppressive security policies and suppressing domestic and international political opponents.
North Korea’s General Political Bureau Director Jong Kyong-thaek, and four others have been placed on the South Korean government's unilateral sanctions list. (Photo: YTN)
In July 2023, the South Korean government added Jong Kyong-thaek to its sanctions list as part of independent sanctions measures in response to North Korea's test launch of the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) 'Hwasong-18'.