Hyon was promoted to the rank of Vice Marshal (차수) of the KPA in July 2012, two days after Chief of the General Staff Ri Yong-ho was relieved of his duties.
General Kim Jong-gak was seen as one of the next generations of KPA leaders, along with Chief of General Staff Ri Yong-ho, as well as a key asset to Kim Jong-un's rise to power.
In December 2011, after the leader's death, he was ranked 5th among members of the Kim Jong-il funeral committee, immediately after Kim Jong-un and the Politburo Presidium members (Kim Yong-nam, Choe Yong-rim and Ri Yong-ho), signalling his powerful position in the new leadership.
Jin Yong | Wu Yong | Johnny Yong Bosch | Ri Yong-ho | Francis Hong Yong-ho | Yong Nyuk Lin | Kim Yong | Kim Yi-Yong | Jian Yong | Choe Yong-rim | Bae Yong-joon | Yuan Yong | Yong Teck Lee | Yong Pung How | Yong'anli Station | Park Yong-woo | Pak Hon-yong | Lee Yong-shin | Kwak Jae-yong | Kim Yong-Hee | Kim Yong-chun | Kim Taek-Yong | Kim Seung-Yong | Kang Yong-suk | Jong Yong-Ok | Hwang Sok-yong | Huang Yong Ping | Deaf Sam-yong (1964) | Deaf Sam-yong | Bae Yong-kyun |