The December plenum of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party (WPK) saw a major reshuffle in its leadership, and it now appears certain that O Su Yong was removed from his position as party vice-chair and department director. He now appears to be a minister or, though less likely, vice-premier.
This could hint at further change in North Korea’s economic policy, which has been under increasing pressure since the country’s overseas workers were repatriated late last year in accordance with UNSC Resolution 2397.
O Su Yong has been a pillar of the DPRK leadership
The December plenum of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party (WPK) saw a major reshuffle in its leadership, and it now appears certain that O Su Yong was removed from his position as party vice-chair and department director. He now appears to be a minister or, though less likely, vice-premier.
This could hint at further change in North Korea's economic policy, which has been under increasing pressure since the country's overseas workers were repatriated late last year in accordance with UNSC Resolution 2397.
Martin Weiser received his MA from Korea University in 2014 with a thesis explaining North Korea’s changing human rights policy. He has continued researching North Korea’s political history as an independent researcher since then. His writings have appeared on SinoNK and in 2018 an article on the country’s legal system appeared in the European Journal of Korean Studies.