State media Korean Central News Agency (KNCA) reported on Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had changed the military’s top general and demanded increased war preparations, a rise in weapon manufacturing, and an expansion of military exercises.
According to the article, Kim made the remarks at the Central Military Commission meeting, which addressed strategies for countermeasures to discourage North Korea’s enemies, which it did not identify.
Who replaced the top army general?
Chief of the General Staff Pak Su Il, the highest-ranking general in the nation, was reportedly “dismissed,” according to KCNA. About seven months had passed since he had begun serving in his position.
General Ri Yong Gil took over Pak’s position. Ri had previously been North Korea’s defence minister and supreme commander of its conventional forces.
Ri has also held the position of army chief of staff in the past. His firing and subsequent absence from official events, when he was replaced in 2016, generated rumours of his execution in South Korea. However, he resurfaced a few months later and was appointed to another prominent position.
Since taking power in late 2011, Kim has demonstrated a propensity to quickly oust key military and government figures if he was dissatisfied with their performance or needed to hold them accountable for more significant policy mistakes, which the North never attributes to its supreme commander.
According to Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior analyst at South Korea’s Sejong Institute, Pak’s dismissal after only eight months in office could be an indication that Kim was unsatisfied with his capacity to develop military strategies and turned to Ri, who had previously held the position of chief of general staff for a significant amount of time.
Call for war preparations
Without providing details, the report said that Kim also established a goal of increasing the capacity to produce weapons. He advocated for the production of more artillery, missile engines, and other weapons during a visit to an arms factory last week.
Kim can be seen pointing at Seoul and its surrounding regions on a map in pictures issued by KCNA.
The United States has charged North Korea with supplying weapons, including artillery rounds, rockets, and missiles, to Russia for its war in Ukraine. Both North Korea and Russia have refuted the assertions.
According to the source, Kim also urged the military to practice using the nation’s most modern weapons and equipment to keep its troops prepared for battle.
On September 9, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Day of the Foundation of the Republic, North Korea is planning a military parade. Paramilitary groups are used by North Korea to reinforce its armed forces.
Between August 21 and August 24, the US and South Korea are set to conduct military exercises. The North views this as a threat to its security.
Kim advocated for more weapon production when touring three significant North Korean military factories last week, including ones that produce the engines for strategic cruise missiles, according to official media.
Less than two weeks prior to the visits, Kim accompanied Russian and Chinese officials to a significant military display that featured some of North Korea’s most advanced weapons, including intercontinental ballistic missiles and spy drones. Visiting Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was given a tour of the cutting-edge weapons.
