Choe Ryong-hae
General Kim Jong-gak was seen as one of the next generations of KPA leaders, along with Chief of General Staff Ri Yong-ho, as well as a key asset to Kim Jong-un's rise to power. He is also supposedly linked to Jang Song-thaek, Kim Jong-il's brother-in-law; notably, both of them were removed from limelight in 2003–2005, and were promoted to high positions in 2007. Kim Jong-gak's supposed part in ensuring the succession was enhanced in May 2010, when he presided over a military ceremony unveiling bronze statues of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and Kim Jong-suk. In April 2011, the South Korean newspaper "Choson Ilbo" said that Kim Jong-gak was working directly under Kim Jong-un. After Jo Myong-rok's death in November 2010 left the post of KPA General Political Bureau director vacant, Kim Jong-gak probably worked as its acting chief until Choe Ryong-hae was appointed to fill the post in April 2012.