Who are Ri and Hong? Kim Jong-un’s top scientists in charge of North Korea’s nuclear program

World News Nilgun Salim
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The last propaganda material released by KCNA, in which the Supreme Leader is standing next to two men dressed in black sparked a lot of controversy in the international press

Apparently, the one who is standing in the right of the Pyongyang leader is one of the pioneers of North Korea’s nuclear program.

Their names?

One of them is Ri Hong-sop, who is also the head of North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons Institute and Hong Sung-mu, the deputy of the Ammunition Industry Department.

The two “technocrats” are spotted frequently in the company of Kim Jong-un.

“Apparently, Hong plays a major role in the nuclear development program, and Ri is dealing with nuclear tests, such as hydrogen bombs”, says Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the North Korean University of Seoul, an institution that monitors the hierarchy and leadership of the North.

In January 2016, Hong and Ri were decorated by the Pyongyang leader during the ceremony that celebrated the fourth nuclear test in North Korea.

Both are on the blacklist of UN

Ri is also the former director of the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center, which operates the only nuclear reactors from the country and the only uranium enrichment facility in North Korea. Hong has previously served as chief engineer at the same research center.

North Korean authorities were seen carrying what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the west coast of the country.

The movement was detected on Monday, the day after North Korea’s sixth nuclear test.

The South Korean Ministry of Defense has been unable to confirm this information after the parliament announced on Monday that there are indications that the Pyongyang regime could launch a new missile, including the ICBM, at any time

According to South Korean intelligence services, a new possible launch could take place on September 9, when North Korea celebrates its National Day, which marks the date the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was founded.