Choe Ryong-hae
Some scholars and defectors argue that the leaders of the OGD are the real leaders of North Korea, that Kim Jong-un is a puppet. North Korean defector Jang Jin-sung argues that Hwang Pyong-so, the First Deputy Head of the OGD, through his post as director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, was the real ruler of the country because he controlled the appointments and dismissals of military officers. However, none of the three following GPB Directors, Choe Ryong-hae, Kim Jong-gak and now Kim Su-gil, have been seen as true leaders of North Korea. Robert Collins at the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea maintains that the OGD truly implements directives of the Supreme Leader, and Michael Madden of the North Korea Leadership Watch concludes the OGD is not powerful enough to introduce directives itself.