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Vice-Marshal Ri Yong-ho
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Seoul, July 16 (Reuters): North Korea’s ruling party has removed a top military official close to the centre of power, suggesting new leader Kim Jong-un and his closest advisers may be purging the ruling elite to strengthen their grip on the secretive state.
It is the latest surprise from the young Kim, who last week stunned observers by jazzing up the ruling family dynasty’s normally dour image when he appeared on state television in the com- pany of a mystery young woman, cheerfully applauding scantily dressed female pop singers.
Vice-Marshal Ri Yong-ho, who was seen as close to Kim’s dictator father Kim Jong-il, was relieved of his posts in the Workers’ Party of Korea at a politburo meeting yesterday, including the powerful role of vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, the state KCNA news agency said today. Illness was given as the reason for the move on Ri, who is 70 years old, according to a South Korean government database.
“This is a sudden move, one that you could call a purge,” said Cho Min of South Korea’s Institute for National Unification, who studies the North’s leadership and its tactics. In Washington, spokesmen for the state department and Pentagon said they were aware of the reports but declined to speculate as to what motivated them.
Ri showed no sign of ill-health when he was seen in public a week ago with Kim Jong-un and senior military officials visiting a memorial in the capital Pyongyang honouring the founder of the state Kim Il-sung, and the current ruler’s grandfather, on the anniversary of his death in 1994.
It was not clear from the brief KCNA report whether Ri, a career officer who rapidly rose through to top ranks of the army in recent years culminating in the appointment as chief of general staff, was also relieved of his military posts.
“The reason would be all speculation, but you might say Ri may have tried to firm up his own position which may have been to the dislike of Jang Song-thaek and Choe Ryong-hae,” said Cho.
Jang is the young leader’s uncle by marriage to Kim Jong-il’s sister. He is believed to be the real power behind the throne in the impoverished state as chief adviser to his nephew, who is in his late 20s.
Choe is a senior party official who has taken on an increasingly powerful role within the political apparatus of the military in a state ruled by a “military-first policy”.
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