O Kuk-ryol
| O Kuk-ryol | |
| Hangul | 오극렬 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | O Geuk-ryeol |
| McCune–Reischauer | O Kŭk-ryŏl |
O Kuk-ryol (Korean: 오극렬, born 1931 in Jilin, China) is a North Korean military general and since April 2009, has been a Vice Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea as head of the Operations Department. The son of O Jung-song and nephew of O Jung-hup, who allegedly fought the Japanese with Kim Il-sung, O Kuk-ryol was among war orphans under the care of Kim Il-sung's wife Kim Jong-suk and was a close personal friend of Kim Jong-il from childhood. He has been called the second most powerful man in North Korea.
In June 2009, O was identified by international authorities and the United States government as a key figure in North Korea's currency counterfeiting activities, specifically with United States one hundred-dollar bills, known as Superdollars. He was reported to have also involved members of his family, including his son O Se-won, in the counterfeiting business, which reportedly took place at the Pyongsong Trademark Printing Factory, a factory under the control of O's Operations Department. His other son O Se-uk, who was also a military general, defected to the United States in 2004. He also has five daughters, the eldest of which is a screenwriter for a film studio. O is also reportedly fluent in Russian, Chinese, and English. In 2006 a South Korean intelligence report noted he was perceived as reliable and knew South Korea well.
After attending Mangyongdae Revolutionary School, Kim Il Sung University and air force academies in the Soviet Union, O served as an air force commander, beginning as a major general and superintendent of the Kim Chaek Air Force Academy, the North’s top air force academy, in 1964, and then as a lieutenant general and air force commander in 1968 before joining politics in 1970 as a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. He was also elected deputy to the Supreme People's Assembly in 1967. In 1973, he was among the pilots who were sent to aid the Egyptian Air Force during the Yom Kippur War.
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