No Kwang-chol
No Kwang-chol is a North Korean soldier, a four-star general, and a member of the political bureau, who is the current minister of Defence.
Biography
No was born in 1956.He was elected as a member of the Supreme People's Assembly following the 2003 election and 2009 election. In the September 2010 Representative Conference, he was elected as an alternate member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. In December 2011, Kim Jong Il died and he was included as one of the members of Death and state funeral of [Kim Jong Il#Funeral committee|his funeral committee].
In June 2018, he was promoted from first vice minister to Minister of People's Armed Forces.
On June 12, 2018, Trump and Kim Jong Un were meeting in Singapore. At the meeting, Trump wanted to shake hands with No, who was accompanying Kim Jong Un in the meeting, but No did not shake hands but saluted Trump. After Trump hesitated, he saluted him and the two shook hands.
On 21 December 2019 he was replaced by Kim Jong-gwan. From 12 April 2019 to 12 April 2020 he served as a member of the State Affairs Commission. Since his dismissal as minister, No reportedly headed a research institute under the General Staff Department of the Korean People's Army, and was observed attending meetings including the enlarged meetings of the WPK Central Military Commission.
On 8 October 2024, during 11th Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly, No Kwang-Chol was reappointed as the minister of Defence.
In November 2024, No Kwang-Chol held talks with his Russian counterpart, Andrei Belousov, mere months after North Korean troops entered the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War.
Sanctions
As North Korea's defense minister, No Kwang-Chol has faced multiple international sanctions for a variety of reasons, from the country's nuclear programme to its human rights abuses to, most notably, his role in the Russian Invasion Of Ukraine.On December 16, 2024, No Kwang-Chol was sanctioned by the US, EU and South Korea over the role of North Korean troops in Ukraine.
On February 24, 2025, the third anniversary of the 2022 Russian Invasion Of Ukraine, the British Foreign Office placed him on a list of UK sanctions over his role in the sending of North Korean troops to fight on Russia's behalf in Ukraine.