Purged N.Korean Apparatchik Reappears in Public

The former chief of North Korea's Army politburo, who was believed to have been purged late last year, has appeared in public again.

North Korea watchers believe Hwang Pyong-so completed an "ideological re-education" course and was reinstated.

Hwang was spotted in footage shown on North Korean state television on Thursday during a ceremony marking the birthday of nation founder Kim Il-sung. Hwang was also standing in line with other senior officials during a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, which houses Kim's embalmed corpse.

A government official here said Sunday, "Judging by the ranks of the officials next to him, Hwang Pyong-so appears to have been stripped of his military status and reinstated as a Workers Party official."

Hwang spearheaded efforts to make Kim Jong-un the heir to the North Korea's throne and at first gained the young leader's trust, whose second-in-command he was at one time thought to be.

But he became locked into a power struggle with Choe Ryong-hae, who is now the No. 2 man but was at one point sent to a re-education camp.

As soon as Choe was back in power, he avenged himself on his persecutors and purged Hwang instead.

"Kim Jong-un's style of leadership is characterized by having another subordinate sack the No. 2 official if he becomes too powerful," a source here said. "Hwang's reinstatement follows the same pattern."

Ken Gause, a specialist at the Center for Naval Analyses, forecast recently that Kim will reinstate Hwang in order to keep Choe in check.

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