Kim Yong-chol, the main perpetrator of the ROKS Cheonan sinking, has returned as an advisor to the United Front Department of WPK

In June 2023, at the eighth Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of WPK, Kim Yong-chol was appointed as a candidate member of the Politburo of KPK and an advisor to the United Front Department of the WPK / the Korean Central News Agency.

Kim Yong-chol, who was previously implicated in the 2010 sinking of the ROKS Cheonan, has been reinstated as a candidate member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea(WPK). The news of his appointment was reported by the Korean Central News Agency on June 19 during the eighth Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of WPK. Additionally, Rodong Sinmun featured a photo of Kim Yong-chol with the title 'Advisor to the United Front Department of the WPK.' The sinking of the ROKS Cheonan occurred on March 26, 2010, when a North Korean submarine launched a sudden torpedo attack, resulting in the loss of 46 South Korean soldiers. Kim Yong-chol, who was then the head of the North Korean Reconnaissance General Bureau, was reportedly involved in planning the attack. His return is seen as a reflection of North Korea's desire to strengthen its offensive capabilities and engage in negotiations to alleviate diplomatic isolation.

Kim Yong-chol, born in Ryanggang Province in 1946, is known to have graduated from the Mangyongdae Revolution Academy and Kim Il Sung National Defense University. Starting with his role as the North Korean representative in the preliminary contacts for the high-level inter-Korean talks in February 1989, he has been involved in most of the contacts and meetings between North and South Korea over the past 30 years. His original name was Kim Dong-su, but it is said that Kim Il-sung requested him to change it to Kim Yong-chol.

It is said that Kim Il-sung, who observed Kim Yong-chol's activities during the early 1990s inter-Korean talks, advocated the use of his current name. Since then, Kim Yong-chol has participated in the inter-Korean military talks as the North Korean chairman of the military subcommittee from March to August 1992, served as the chief representative for inter-Korean summit security talks, represented the North in the third to seventh inter-Korean general-grade military talks, and acted as the North Korean representative in the second inter-Korean defense ministers' meeting held in November 2007. He has been involved in major inter-Korean issues such as the Kaesong Industrial Region and the Mount Kumgang tourism project.

On the second day of the 6th general-grade military talks, held on July 25, 2007, at the Inter-Korean Peace House in Panmunjom, the North Korean delegation, including Chief Representative Kim Yong-chol, is crossing the Military Demarcation Line. / by Newsis

In 2009, Kim Yong-chol assumed leadership positions in the Reconnaissance General Bureau, and the following year, he was involved in the ROKS Cheonan sinking incident. In 2013, he made threats of turning Seoul and Washington into a "sea of fire." In 2015, he was linked to a naval mine provocation near Panmunjom. In 2018, during a performance by a South Korean art troupe in Pyongyang, he sparked controversy by introducing himself as the person accused of the ROKS Cheonan sinking. From 2018 to 2019, he played a prominent role in inter-Korean and US-North Korea summits as the Workers' Party of Korea secretary in charge of North-South affairs, particularly during the presidency of Donald John Trump. However, following the inconclusive US-North Korea Summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2019, he faced dismissal from significant positions.

In July 2018, Kim Yong-chol, the Vice Chairman of WPK, accompanied United States Secretary of State, Michael Richard Pompeo during his visit to Pyongyang for high-level US-North Korea talks and guided him to a luncheon at the Paekhwawon State Guest House. / AP via Yonhap News Agency

Former US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, who was Kim Yong-chol's counterpart, described him as "the most hateful person I have ever met" in his memoir published in January.

In January 2021, Kim Yong-chol resumed his position as the head of the United Front Department of the Workers' Party of Korea. However, on September 9, 2022, he transferred his role to Ri Son-kwon and was also dismissed from the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly. Despite these changes, there have been observations of him advising Kim Jong-un during significant meetings. While he may have officially stepped back from key positions in the North Korean political arena, his involvement behind the scenes remains notable.

Kim Jong-un, President of the State Affairs Commission (right), receiving a report on the results of Kim Yong-chol's visit to the United States in January 2019 / by Korean Central News Agency

Kim Yong-chol's return to the party leadership, despite practically retiring from politics, carries significant political implications. The Ministry of Unification analyzed that North Korea's decision to bring back Kim Yong-chol, a hardliner in inter-Korean relations, as an advisor to the United Front Department of the WPK and as a candidate member of the Political Bureau, has the intention to strengthen their response in the inter-Korean field and carries meaning. Some analysis suggests that North Korea has shown its determination to drive a hardline approach in its relations with South Korea and the United States.

It is also speculated that North Korea brought back Kim Yong-chol with the aim of enhancing its diplomatic efforts on the international stage. The North Korean Rodong Sinmun reported that in this plenary meeting, the Party's Political Bureau emphasized the need for a sensitive and nimble military, technological, political, and diplomatic response to the worsening security environment on the Korean Peninsula, which is caused by indiscriminate war provocations by hostile forces that ignore our patience and warnings.

Some speculate that Kim Yong-chol's return as an advisor to the United Front Department of the WPK is in preparation for high-level discussions with Japan for a possible Japan-North Korea Summit. The Japanese government, under Kishida Fumio, proposed a North Korea-Japan summit to resolve the issue of North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens. North Korea responded unusually quickly on May 29 with a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying, "There is no reason not to." While maintaining a strong stance with the United States, there is a possibility that North Korea is seeking to break its diplomatic isolation through negotiations with Japan. We may soon see Kim Yong-chol in Tokyo.