North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party has reshuffled the country’s military leadership.
On Sunday, state-run Korean Central Television reported that the party’s Central Military Commission held a meeting one day earlier with leader Kim Jong Un in attendance.
The media outlet said a series of structural reorganization plans were discussed at the meeting. It said the Central Military Commission decided that Pak Jong Chon will be reinstated as its vice-chairman. Pak is believed to have been in charge of North Korea’s missile development and is regarded as a senior figure.
Pak was believed to have stepped down from a frontline leadership role. But the latest reshuffle has apparently put him back into a role to support Kim, who chairs the commission.
KCTV also reported that Defense Minister No Kwang Chol was dismissed and then appointed as first vice-director of the Munitions Industry Department of the party’s Central Committee. Kim Song Gi, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army, was reportedly appointed as the new defense minister.
In July, Kim Jong Un instructed that military discipline be tightened, following a corruption scandal involving senior military officials. South Korean media say the reshuffle is intended as part of this anti-corruption campaign.