Thae Jong-su (, born 20 March 1936) is a

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

n politician. He was a

Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trai ...

(WPK) and the director of the

Munitions Industry Department of the WPK Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weapo ...

. He is a full member of the 7th Central Committee of the WPK, a full member of the 7th Politburo of the WPK and a member of the

State Affairs Commission of North Korea The State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (SAC) is defined by the 2016 constitution as "the supreme policy-oriented leadership body of State power." The current president of the SAC, which is defined by the same ...

Biography

Thae was born in

Myonggan County Myŏnggan County, formerly known as Hwasŏng County, is a ''kun'', or county, in North Hamgyong province, North Korea. Unlike many Korean districts that date from the Joseon Dynasty, Hwasong was created after liberation. Yŏngan was established in ...

North Hamgyong Province North Hamgyong Province (Hamgyŏngbukdo, ) is the northernmost province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Hamgyong Province. Geography The province is bordered by China (Jilin) on the north, S ...

. He was educated at

Mangyongdae Revolutionary School Red Flag Mangyongdae Revolutionary School is an elite school in Mangyongdae district of Pyongyang, North Korea. Established in 1947, it is a special education school with access only to the Workers' Party of Korea, Korean People's Army, administra ...

and

Kim Il-sung University Kim Il-sung University, founded on 1 October 1946, is the first university built in North Korea. It is located on a campus in Pyongyang, the nation's capital. Along with the main academic buildings, the campus contains 10 separate offices, 50 l ...

. His political career dates back to the late 1960s. He received his first important post in 1970 when he was appointed chief secretary of the North Pyongan WPK Provincial Committee. He has also served as a

Vice Premier of North Korea The Vice Premier of the Cabinet assists the Premier of North Korea in guiding the work of the Cabinet of North Korea. The office is also alternatively known as Deputy Prime Minister of North Korea. First Vice Premier The First Vice Premier of t ...

. Thae is described as "a highly experienced manager and can be identified as being part of the cohort of technocrats who have come back to power under Kim Jong Un". Thae was elected to the

Supreme People's Assembly The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; ) is the unicameral legislature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. It consists of one deputy from each of the DPRK's 687 constituencies, elected to five-year ...

(SPA) from Sosang in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. In

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, he renewed his seat from Chongnyon. Thae became a member of the party's Central Military Commission in April 2019. The same month, he retained his membership in the

Presidium of the SPA The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; ) is the unicameral legislature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. It consists of one deputy from each of the DPRK's 687 constituencies, elected to five-year t ...

, which he had held during the previous SPA term.

References

Living people 1936 births Members of the Supreme People's Assembly Alternate members of the 6th Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 7th Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 6th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Vice Chairmen of the Workers' Party of Korea and its predecessors People from North Hamgyong {{NorthKorea-politician-stub

Biography

See also

References