Nationality North Korean McCune–Reischauer Jeon Byeong-ho Hangul 전병호 Name Jon Pyong-ho | Hanja 全炳浩 Role Political figure Died July 7, 2014 | |
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Born March 1926 ( 1926-03 ) | ||
Revised Romanization Chon Pyongho | ||
Jon Pyong-ho (March 1926 – 7 July 2014; also written Chŏn Pyŏng-ho) was the Chief Secretary of the Korean Workers Party (KWP) Committee of the North Korean Cabinet, and director of the DPRK Cabinet Political Bureau before his retirement in 2010. Jon was described as the 'Chief architect of North Korea's nuclear programme'. Jon was a general of the Korean People's Army(KPA) and a close adviser to late Kim Jong-il.
Jon played a key role in the production and development of North Korean arms for more than four decades before retiring in 2011. Jon supervised the development of the country's long-range ballistic missile programmes and was involved with its first test of a nuclear device in 2006 directly. Jon was reported to help broker a deal with Pakistan during the 1990s that gave North Korea critical technology for its uranium enrichment programme in exchange for North Korea's missile technology. Jon was sanctioned by the United Nations as a result of his involvement in the country's nuclear and missile weapons programmes.
He was born in Musan County, in North Hamgyong Province, and was educated at the Ural Engineering College in the Soviet Union, where he graduated in 1950. He has since held a number of positions within the North Korean military and government, and was appointed member of the National Defense Commission in February 2009. In December 2011, he was named as one of the members of the funeral committee for the late supreme leader Kim Jong-il. He has been described as "a talented writer with an excellent knowledge of policy and process."
On 7 July 2014 Jon Pyong-ho died of acute myocardial infarction at the age of 88. He was awarded a state funeral, attended by Kim Jong-un.