The absence of Ri Yong Gil and the rise of Pyon In Son



Analysis The absence of Ri Yong Gil and the rise of Pyon In Son Chief of General Staff unseen almost two months, Pyon confirmed as No. 2 in General Staff John G. Grisafi June 18, 2014 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON KCNA North Korean state media confirmed Monday that Gen. Pyon In Son holds two important positions within the Korean People’s Army General Staff. The June 16 KCNA report on Kim’s visit to Unit 167, a submarine unit at Mayang-do, was the first time state media officially referred to Pyon as director of the KPA General Staff Operations Bureau (GSOB) and as first vice chief of the General Staff. Conversely, current Chief of the KPA General Staff Ri Yong Gil has not appeared in state media since April 27, while Pyon has made eight appearances since then. Holding these two Read More © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01Military dominates Kim Jong Un’s attention in his busiest year in nearly decade 02How Trump’s return could transform North Korea’s quiet ties with Thailand 03How Assad’s downfall could expose secrets of North Korea-Syria military ties 04All the companies that participated in the Pyongyang Autumn Trade Fair 2024 05No Chinese firms joined North Korea’s latest trade fair dominated by Russia 06What defectors’ exam scores reveal about the quality of North Korean health care 07North Korean Il-76 cargo planes make rare flights to northeast coast 08From aid to academia: The status of foreign organizations in North Korea

Analysis

The absence of Ri Yong Gil and the rise of Pyon In Son

Chief of General Staff unseen almost two months, Pyon confirmed as No. 2 in General Staff

John G. Grisafi June 18, 2014

The absence of Ri Yong Gil and the rise of Pyon In Son

KCNA

North Korean state media confirmed Monday that Gen. Pyon In Son holds two important positions within the Korean People’s Army General Staff. The June 16 KCNA report on Kim’s visit to Unit 167, a submarine unit at Mayang-do, was the first time state media officially referred to Pyon as director of the KPA General Staff Operations Bureau (GSOB) and as first vice chief of the General Staff.

Conversely, current Chief of the KPA General Staff Ri Yong Gil has not appeared in state media since April 27, while Pyon has made eight appearances since then. Holding these two

01Military dominates Kim Jong Un’s attention in his busiest year in nearly decade
02How Trump’s return could transform North Korea’s quiet ties with Thailand
03How Assad’s downfall could expose secrets of North Korea-Syria military ties
04All the companies that participated in the Pyongyang Autumn Trade Fair 2024
05No Chinese firms joined North Korea’s latest trade fair dominated by Russia
06What defectors’ exam scores reveal about the quality of North Korean health care
07North Korean Il-76 cargo planes make rare flights to northeast coast
08From aid to academia: The status of foreign organizations in North Korea

The absence of Ri Yong Gil and the rise of Pyon In Son

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John G. Grisafi