November was full of interesting developments for those interested in the North Korean leadership and the ruling party’s narratives. This article reviews:

the major (and almost certainly enduring) political significance of the Hwasong-15 launch; further signs, detected in this column since August, that there may be concern within the leadership about too much focus on ‘guns’ and not enough on ‘butter’; the continued role of “Kim Jong Un’s shadow,” Jo Yong Won; and an alternative possibility for the recent absence of Hwang Pyong So.

First, however, here is the overview data of supreme leader Kim