ALBAWABA - North Korean President Kim Jong Un has fired a top military leader ordered for increasing weapons production, expansion of military drills, and preparations for the possibility of war, the country’s state media KCNA has reported.
The country's highest general, Chief of the General Staff Pak Su Il, was "dismissed," by Jong Un according to KCNA, without going into any detail. He had been in his position for roughly seven months. Pak was replaced by General Ri Yong Gil, who previously served as the country's defense minister.
Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said: “Ri Yong Gil is a longstanding member of North Korea’s military elite, who before making it to the top, experienced ups and downs during his career. Seven years ago, he was even rumored to have been executed after a personnel reshuffle,”.
North Korea has increased its military propaganda this summer, threatening to shoot down US spy planes and respond for the first time in four decades, to the port call of a US nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarine to South Korea.
Pyongyang has also demonstrated breakthroughs in ballistic missile technology, claiming to have tested a Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a flight time long enough to target the US mainland.
During the meeting, North Korean officials also agreed to hold another parade to mark the 75th anniversary of its government’s founding. This would be the country's third parade this year.
Analysts say that North Korea never staged more than two military parades in one year.
