Pak Jong-chon


Pak Jong-chon is a North Korean Vice Marshal.

Biography

In 2014, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the General Staff and Chief of Fire Command at the General Staff. However, he was demoted to Major General in 2015 and the Deputy Chief of Staff was fired. In 2016 he was promoted to Lieutenant General and was elected a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and Director General of the General Staff Department. He was promoted to Colonel General in 2017. He was promoted to General of the Army on April 14, 2019, and was appointed Chief of Staff of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, having replaced Ri Yong-gil. The appointment is attributed to the successful launch of the new short-range ballistic missile as Artillery Director.
On May 23, 2020, Pak was promoted to vice marshal. He is often considered a "rising star" in the North Koren power hierarchy.