Revealed: Kim’s nuke missile mastermind
A GENERAL often seen grinning at Kim Jong-un’s side during missile tests has been identified as the dictator’s nuclear bomb kingpin.
Kim Jong-sik, in his 50s, has helped improve North Korea’s oncefaltering nukes programme.
The scientist, who has decades of experience, was promoted by the nation’s leader after launching a satellite into space in 2012.
Michael Madden, a leading authority on Pyongyang’s elite, said: “He is a guy that’s helped them identify certain technical problems or reach certain technical benchmarks and that’s a critical thing. He’s one of these people Kim Jong-un kind of plucked from obscurity and brought into the fold.”
Kim Jong-sik holds North Korea’s highest honour, the Order of Kim Jong-il, and is a top figure in the munitions industry department.