A feared North Korean general dubbed the "Angel of Death" for his part in the execution of the enemies of Kim Jong-un has been given new powers.
Jo Kyong-chol earned the nickname for his role in purging senior officials in the secretive nation, including Jang Song-thaek – the dictator’s uncle – who was killed in 2013.
The head of North Korea’s Military Security Command (MSC), he has now been promoted to North Korea’s Central Military Commission (CMC), one of the country’s most powerful decision-making bodies.
Michael Madden, a leading expert on North Korea’s elite, described the “shadowy” general’s responsibilities.
He said: "We can link him overall to supervising the process whereby top North Korean military officers and party cadres are incarcerated and executed.
“When we talk about prison for North Korean elites, we are talking about places where there is no natural light and if you go into one you do not leave there alive.”
He continued: “With regard to executions, they are typically done with three bullets from a firing squad.
“Of course we have accounts of more creative methods for putting down disobedient malcontents such as using anti-aircraft artillery fired at close range.
“Another account says that some military officers were restrained to the ground and run over by military tanks.
“But this is not the norm and more to send a message to North Korean elites to shape up under the principle of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys.”
Mr Madden, a fellow of The Stimson Center in Washington DC, who also runs the North Korea Leadership Watch website, added the move looked like a crackdown.
He added: "This indicates Kim Jong-un tightening control.
“There could be a matter of he and General Jo cracking down on certain cohorts in the military.
“But that would be an incomplete picture. The CMC also has some oversight over civilian officials in the party and state.
“And the MSC which Jo leads can surveil or investigate civilian officials.
“In short, his appointment to the CMC is intended to serve as a warning to North Korean officials of all ranks and stations.”
The general was one of those who helped Jong-un consolidate his power after the death of Kim Jong-il, the leader’s father and predecessor, in 2011.
It comes days after it was revealed the North Korean dictator could launch a nuclear weapon as the global threat escalates.
The pariah state has finished preparations for its first nuclear test launch since 2017, according to South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin, who also called for a political resolution to bring it to a halt.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has promised to "respond quickly" should the despot press the button and initiate his seventh test bomb.
