hanja rr context article_title mr hangul
郭 範 基 gwak beom-gi north kwak pom-gi
 kwak pŏm-gi 곽범기
kwak pom-gi

kwak pom-gi -lrb- born 1939 -rrb- is a north korean government official .
after graduating from huichon industrial college , he began his career in 1983 as a machine factory manager , progressing through the machinery bureau of the korean workers ' party , becoming a cadre candidate of the party 's central committee in 1993 .
he has been vice-premier of the government from 1998 to 2010 , and is a member of the secretariat of the korean worker 's party .
he is described as a `` technocrat '' in the north korean leadership .
in october 2003 , kwak gave a speech celebrating the ryugyong jong ju yong indoor stadium at the mansudae art theatre , which is an indoor stadium built on the bank of the river potong .
in august 2006 , kwak , with russian ambassador andrei karlov , was at the opening of the first russian orthodox church in pyongyang , north korea .
the church was opended to improve the development of russian-north korean relations according to korean orthodox church committee chairman ho il jin .
the north korean government would `` successfully administer '' the church , which was built to hold 500 people .
on 6 january 2007 , at a mass rally in pyongyang which included kim jong-il , he gave a speech praising the north korean government for building nuclear weapons .
he also addressed the country 's `` problem of food scarcity '' in 2007 , saying , `` the cabinet will concentrate state efforts on agriculture this year , too , considering it a mainstay , to thoroughly implement the wpk 's policy of agriculture revolution and make a signal advance in the efforts to settle the people 's food problem . ''
he served as wpk south hamgyong provincial secretary from 2010 , where he led an effort to develop local industry which was celebrated as `` flames of hamnam '' .
likely as a result of this , he was elevated to politburo alternate member and director of the party finance and accounting department in april 2012 , and chairman of the supreme people 's assembly budget committee in september of the same year .
he has been speculated as the head of the new party economy department , reportedly established in june 2013 .
