N Korea shake-up ‘a boost to peace’

NORTH Korea’s top three military officials have been removed from their posts, a move analysts say could support efforts by Kim Jong-un (pictured) to jump-start economic development and engage with the world.

Mr Kim is preparing for a high-stakes summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12, the first such meeting between a North Korean leader and a sitting US president.

A senior US official commented on a report by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency that all three of the North’s top military officials were believed to have been replaced.

Mr Kim’s motive remains unclear but analysts say the shake-up allows him and the ruling party to tighten control over the Korean People’s Army (KPA) at a critical time of international engagement and domestic development.

The US is seeking a negotiated end to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and US officials believe there was some dissension in the military about Mr Kim’s approaches to South Korea and the US.

Citing an unidentified intelligence official, Yonhap said No Kwang Chol, first vice minister of the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces, had replaced Pak Yong Sik as defence chief, while Ri Myong Su was replaced by his deputy, Ri Yong Gil. North Korean state media previously confirmed that Army General Kim Su Gil had replaced Kim Jong Gak as di- rector of the KPA’s General Political Bureau.

South Korea’s unification and defence ministries declined to confirm the report, while the Unification Ministry said the Government was watching the North’s leadership situation very closely.

Given the military’s secondary role in the country’s nuclear and missile programs, the moves are likely more about installing a younger, even more trusted cohort of officials that Mr Kim can rely on as he confronts a variety of domestic and international issues, said Michael Madden, a North Korea expert at Johns Hopkins University’s 38 North website.

The moves are probably linked in part to Mr Kim’s drive to have the military take a bigger role in critical infrastructure projects.

Mr Kim is also probably expecting to soon receive more international economic aid and investment as part of the ongoing talks and may want to prevent the corruption that has plagued some past projects, Mr Madden said.