North Korean officials' license plates indicate power hierarchy in regime
Published: 30 Dec. 2025, 12:02
![This image, captured from footage of North Korea's state-run TV station, shows Premier Pak Thae-song getting off a vehicle bearing the license plate ″7·27 0002″ to attend an enlarged plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea on Dec. 11. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/30/8a74516e-f9f7-470a-92cd-36b95b06df44.jpg)
This image, captured from footage of North Korea's state-run TV station, shows Premier Pak Thae-song getting off a vehicle bearing the license plate ″7·27 0002″ to attend an enlarged plenary meeting of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea on Dec. 11. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
Car license plates used by ranking North Korean officials may point to their power hierarchy in the regime, according to an analysis of state media on Tuesday, with Premier Pak Thae-song appearing to be second in the order of precedence.
Since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was seen riding the Aurus luxurious limousine with the license plate "7·27 0001," questions have arisen over which North Korean official holds a license plate bearing the numbers that follow.
Premier Pak was detected riding a vehicle with the plate number "7·27 0002," and Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the North's parliamentary standing committee, was identified as "0003," according to state TV network footage analyzed by Yonhap News Agency.
Experts said Pak's license plate may indicate the political status of the Cabinet has grown in North Korea as the North Korean leader has empowered the Cabinet to take more responsibility for implementing economic policy as the "economic command center."
The status of a premier has been enhanced under Kim's rule as he has focused on improving the people's livelihoods, highlighted by his signature regional development policy.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said that Park having a higher status in protocol indicates the North's leader prioritizes economic development and accomplishments in livelihood-related areas.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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