| No Kwang-chol | |||||||||||||
| Office: | Minister of Defence | ||||||||||||
| Term Start: | 8 October 2024 | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor: | Kang Sun-nam | ||||||||||||
| Term Start1: | 4 June 2018 | ||||||||||||
| Term End1: | 21 December 2019 | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor1: | Pak Yong-sik | ||||||||||||
| Successor1: | Kim Jong-gwan | ||||||||||||
| Birth Place: | Nampo, North Korea | ||||||||||||
| Rank: | General | ||||||||||||
| Party: | Workers' Party of Korea | ||||||||||||
| Honorific Prefix: | General of the Army | ||||||||||||
| Module: |
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No Kwang-chol (; born 1956) is a North Korean soldier, a four-star general, and a member of the political bureau,[1] who is the current minister of Defence.
No was born in 1956.[2]
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 (candidate) 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 his funeral committee.
In June 2018, he was promoted from first vice minister to Minister of People's Armed Forces.[3]
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. Because the United States and North Korea are technically still at war, Trump's salute has triggered controversy and criticism of Trump in the United States.
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.[4]
On 8 October 2024, during 11th Session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly, No Kwang-chol was reappointed as the minister of Defence.[5]
A picture of No shows him wearing the ribbons to all decorations awarded to him.