April was a month full of position changes and further political consolidation by Kim Jong Un and his confidants in North Korea. The first session of the 13th Supreme People’s Assembly resulted in a number of official changes, and a few others happened at other times in the month. Most significant among these are changes in the National Defense Commission, the change of foreign minister and the rise of Hwang Pyong So.

Kim made 19 official appearances in April, his most of this year so far and on par with the monthly average in 2013. Once again, most