Jon Pyong-ho

Jon Pyong-ho (March 1926 – 7 July 2014; also written Chŏn Pyŏng-ho) was the Chief Secretary of the Korean Workers Party (KWP) Committee of the North Korean Cabinet, and director of the DPRK Cabinet Political Bureau before his retirement in 2010.^[1] Jon was described as the 'Chief architect of North Korea's nuclear programme'.^[1] Jon was a general of the Korean People's Army(KPA) and a close adviser to late Kim Jong-il.^[1]

Jon played a key role in the production and development of North Korean arms for more than four decades before retiring in 2011.^[1] Jon supervised the development of the country's long-range ballistic missile programmes and was involved with its first test of a nuclear device in 2006 directly.^[1] Jon was reported to help broker a deal with Pakistan during the 1990s that gave North Korea critical technology for its uranium enrichment programme in exchange for North Korea's missile technology.^[1] Jon was sanctioned by the United Nations as a result of his involvement in the country's nuclear and missile weapons programmes.^[1]

He was born in Musan County, in North Hamgyong Province, and was educated at the Ural Engineering College in the Soviet Union, where he graduated in 1950.^[2] He has since held a number of positions within the North Korean military and government, and was appointed member of the National Defense Commission in February 2009.^[2] In December 2011, he was named as one of the members of the funeral committee for the late supreme leader Kim Jong-il.^[3] He has been described as "a talented writer with an excellent knowledge of policy and process."^[4]

On 7 July 2014 Jon Pyong-ho died of acute myocardial infarction at the age of 88. He was awarded a state funeral, attended by Kim Jong-un.^[5]

References