N. Korea's parliamentary chief, other seniors excluded from list of party central committee members

▲ This Korean Central News Agency image on Sept. 26, 2025, shows North Korea's parliamentary chief Choe Ryong-hae receiving a letter of credence from a new ambassador the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

▲ Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in (C) poses for a photo with top officials on inter-Korean relations Ri Son-gwon (1st from L) and Kim Yong-chol (2nd from L) at a lake atop Mount Paektu in North Korea in 2018. (Yonhap)

NK party-reshuffle

N. Korea's parliamentary chief, other seniors excluded from list of party central committee members

By Park Boram

SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- Choe Ryong-hae, the 76-year-old chairman of the North Korean parliament who once served as the top military leader, has been excluded from members of the country's ruling party central committee, along with other senior officials, signaling a major generational shift in leadership.

Choe, party secretary Pak Jong-chon, party adviser for defense Ri Pyong-chol and other senior officials were not included in a new list of members of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

On the fourth day of the ninth party congress on Sunday, the party elected 138 members and 111 alternate members of its central committee.

Including Choe, Pak and Ri, nearly 70 members of the central committee were replaced compared with the list from the eighth congress in 2021, marking a significant reshuffle of the top leadership body.

Membership in the party central committee is almost a prerequisite for assuming a major official post in North Korea.

Choe has served as director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army and then chairman of the standing committee of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly since 2019, while also serving as a member of the party's politburo.

Choe's omission from the party central committee suggests he may be relieved of his current positions when the North forms a new parliament following the party congress.

The departure of Choe, along with Pak and Ri, both of whom held marshal rank and top-level military posts, signals a major generational shift in North Korean leadership.

The list shows that those newly joining the central committee include Jo Chun-ryong, head of the party's defense manufacturing department, who won Kim's favor for his lead role in developing new weapons systems.

The list also omitted two high-profile senior officials in charge of inter-Korean relations -- Ri Son-gwon, director of North Korea's now-abolished United Front Department (UFD), and party adviser Kim Yong-chol, which indicates that the North may continue its hostile policy toward Seoul.

North Korea launched the ninth congress Thursday, its first since the eighth in 2021, to review policy results from the previous congress and put forth new goals for the next five years. The congress is the highest decision-making body in North Korea.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved