[AJU NEWS DB]
North Korea's state media has confirmed that a new military chief was named following South Korean media reports that his predecessor had been executed.
On Sunday Ri Myong-su, a former security minister, was mentioned twice by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency as chief of the Korean People’s Army General Staff when he accompanied leader Kim Jong-un to inspect military exercises.
Ri Myong-su, described by analysts in Seoul as one of Kim's top three aides in the military, appears to be the fourth chief of staff since the young leader took power following the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December 2011.
The fate of his predecessor, Ri Yong-gil, was not known, but senior North Korean officials sometimes have been absent from view over a long period only to reappear.
Earlier this month South Korean media reported that Ri Yong-gil had been executed for corruption, or for forming a political faction.
In recent years, there have been reports of purges and executions involving senior party, government and military officials in North Korea as Kim sought to shore up his leadership.
In December 2013, Kim executed his influential uncle Jang Song-thaek for charges including treason and corruption.
In May last year, South Korea’s spy agency said North Korea's defense minister Hyon Yong-chol had been executed for showing disloyalty to Kim.
아주경제 임장원 기자 = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
