Kim Jong-un has sacked his military second in command, the most powerful figure in the regime after him, according to state media.
During a plenary meeting of the Workers’ Party of Korea, “Pak Jong-chon was recalled and Ri Yong-gil was elected as vice-chairman of the central military commission”, the Korean Central News Agency said.
Ri also took Pak’s job as secretary of the party’s central committee. The central military commission is regarded as North Korea’s highest military authority. State TV showed Pak with his head bowed and his seat was later seen empty.
• Kim Jong-un sets his sights on mass-production of nuclear weapons
Pak did not appear in official photos of Kim’s new year visit to the colossal Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, which houses the remains of his father, Kim Jong-il, and his grandfather Kim Il-sung, the man who founded the country.
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No reason for the replacement was given. The South Korean Yonhap News Agency cited observers as saying that Kim had reshuffled his senior aides more often in recent years to tighten his grip on power. In 2020 Pak was promoted to marshal, the top rank under Kim, apparently due to his role in advancing North Korean missile technology.
• President Yoon of South Korea told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper that the US and South Korea were discussing joint nuclear exercises.
“The nuclear weapons belong to the United States but planning, information sharing, exercises and training should be jointly conducted by South Korea and the United States,” he said.
However, asked by reporters at the White House yesterday, President Biden flatly denied the claim.
