North Korea Baton Kim Jong Un's Inner Amphitheater Filled With Crumbling Aggressive Advisors

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — Wherever North Korea's adolescent new baton goes, they're there: agroup of graying aggressive and political admiral who adumbration Kim Jong Un as he visits army bases, attends concerts and tours schools.

As Kim Jong Un accomplish into the roleof "supreme commander" beneath than two months afterwards his father's death, these admiral can be credible in the background. They accept anxiously as their baton speaks during "guidance visits" and angle at his ancillary during accumulation photos, animated and clapping.

Since Kim Jong Il died of a affection advance in December, Kim Jong Un has affected the crimson of administration with credible confidence. But this crumbling amphitheater ofadvisers is never far behind, lending the adolescent man gravitas and acquaintance while authoritative clearthat he has the abetment of the able military.

The apple has been watching for signs of agitation as Kim, believed to be in his backward 20s, leads North Korea aloof three years afterwards he was broke to be his father's successor.

His ascent comes at a aerial time. Kim Jong Il died as diplomats were in the bosom of negotiating with Washington on much-needed aid to allay a abiding aliment shortage.

There were additionally discussions amid North Korea and its neighbors on the prospectof restarting nuclear disarmamentnegotiations.

The appearance of abutment by the nation's amount aggressive and political administration settles a above catechism about the new era beneath Kim Jong Un: Kim Jong Il's"military first" action will abide in place. And it's bright that these men, abounding now in their 70s and 80s, will abide to admonish Kim Jong Un afterwards years of alive with his ancestor and alike his grandfather, North Korea founder Kim Il Sung.

The "central" administration stepped into the spotlight best vividly during Kim Jong Il's burial in a illustration watched as carefully actuality in Pyongyang as it was in Seoul and Washington for signs advertence who is in ability in North Korea's blurred political system.

On that day, in a agitate of snow, eight men accompanied the atramentous auto address Kim's flag-draped coffin: Kim Jong Un and seven aged men who represent the advanced levels of North Korea's aggressive and politicalcircles.

At the advanced of the hearse, adverse Kim Jong Un, absolved Ri Yong Ho, carnality align of the Korean People's Army and the military's General Staff chief.

Ri wields ability from his position at the circle of three acute institutions: the Korean People's Army, the Central MilitaryCommission of the cardinal Workers' Party and the Standing Committee of the party's affecting Political Bureau.

While the Workers' Party of Koreahas served as the courage of the ability anatomy back Kim Il Sung founded the country in 1948, Kim Jong Il animated the aggressive back he became baton afterwards his father's afterlife in 1994.

Ri, who has operational ascendancy ofthe army, additionally oversees an affecting Kim Jong Un abutment accumulation absolute admiral in their 50s and 60s who commanders accede ascent stars, according toKen Gause, a North Korea specialist at CNA, a U.S.-based analysis organization.

A ascetic figure, Ri stood amid Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un in October 2010 as they watched a massive aggressive array appearance the 65th ceremony of the Workers' Party. He occasionally leaned over to buzz to the son, who was authoritative his all-embracing accessible debut. And Ri stood at Kim Jong Un's ancillary afterward Kim Jong Il's funeral. Ri is 69, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry, which provided the bearing dates of all seven figures.

Walking anon abaft the adolescent baton during the burial advance was his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, bedmate of Kim Jong Il's adolescent sister, Kim Kyong Hui, who is additionally an important Kim Jong Un patron.

Jang, 65, is a carnality administrator of theNational Defense Commission. Beneath the constitution, the agency is the country's accomplished aggressive body, and Kim Jong Il led the country as chairman.

Jang allegedly is complex in big bread-and-butter projects and oversees centralized aegis offices, accordingto Nicholas Hamisevicz, administrator ofresearch and bookish diplomacy forthe Korea Bread-and-butter Institute in Washington. Jang was a common accompaniment to Kim Jong Il on acreage analysis trips aftermost year.

"He is anticipation to be allowance benedict Kim Jong Un by accouterment him advice as able-bodied as some political protection," Hamisevicz said.

Also convoying Kim's hearse was People's Armed Forces Minister Kim Yong Chun, who controls aggressive acumen and training, according to Gause. In a Jan. 28 accompaniment media report, Kim Yong Chun, 75, was mentioned additional alone to Ri Yong Ho in a account of top aides who accompanied Kim Jong Un to a aggressive concert.

Kim Ki Nam, 82, is accustomed with orchestrating the legends surrounding the Kim ancestors and serves as the capital ideologue for the country, according to the Apple Institute for North Korea Studies in South Korea.

Kim Jong Gak is a arch political administrator in the Korean People's Army, while U Tong Chuk is a top accompaniment aegis official. On Jan. 9, Kim Jong Gak was mentioned acutely at a massive assemblage of army, fleet and air force troops alliance adherence to Kim Jong Un. U Tong Chuk has abounding two concerts with the new baton thisyear, according to accompaniment media.

Rounding out the associates in the burial advance was Choe Thae Bok, the longtime administrator of the Supreme People's Assemblyand a affiliate of the Politburo who has led a cardinal of North Korean delegations overseas. Choe is 81, according to the South Korean government.

Other important admiral accommodate Premier Choe Yong Rim, who admitting actuality in his 80s has been authoritative the types of analysis trips to factories, architecture sites and ability plants that wereonce Kim Jong Il's purview; and Kim Yong Nam, admiral of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly and the country's nominal arch of state.

Two added top officers, cutting gray parkas, accept accompanied Kim on aggressive inspections recently: Kim Myong Guk, a 71-year-old General Staff administrator of operations; and Kim Won Hong, a top political administrator who is reportedly in allegation of aggressive cadre appointments. Gause says Kim Won Hong active one of the bodies that anatomy an"inner arena for centralized aegis central North Korea."

One of these men is consistently at Kim Jong Un's side. Accompaniment media, ina celerity appear aboriginal Wednesday, said Ri Yong Ho, Kim Yong Chun and Kim Myong Guk accompanied Kim Jong Un on a bout of an army unit, the latest in a cord of aggressive visits by thenew leader.

"While Kim ability have a good timereal authority, it is his accord with the administration abutment arrangement about him that will actuate the breadth he has to accomplish decisions on his own," Gause said.

The aged leaders who lived through the Korean War are actuality replaced by a new bearing of arch leaders in their 40s, 50s and 60s and calculation conceivably 5,000, according to a contempo address by Peter Hayes, Scott Bruce and David von Hippel of the Nautilus Institute anticipate tank.

The analysts said Kim Jong Un andhis "senior admiral are acceptable to seek chain with the accomplished as the base for bland sailing in 2012 while they apply on calm issues."

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Klug appear from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim and Sam Kim additionally contributed to this adventure from Seoul. Follow AP Korea agency arch Jean H. Lee at twitter.com/newsjeanand Foster Klug at twitter.com/APklug.