North Korea ousts defence minister in military reshuffle

Seoul: North Korea's defence minister has been dismissed as part of a reshuffle of the country's military leadership, state media reported Sunday.

The "structural reorganization plans" were decided during a meeting on Saturday led by Kim Jong Un, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

No Kwang Chol was not only dismissed as defence minister but also demoted in the ruling party leadership to "first vice-director of the Munitions Industry Department," KCNA said.


Kim Song Gi, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, was named as the new defence minister.

Another senior official, defence advisor Pak Jong Chon, was given the position of vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and named to the ruling party's Political Bureau.

Several other promotions were also announced.

In a separate report, KCNA said Kim had lauded scientists, researchers and officials at a ceremony on Saturday for their advances in defence technology, giving them top national honours.

The honorees greatly contributed to "resolving scientific and technological problems of epochal significance in developing new combat weapon systems", KCNA said, without specifying the type of system.

A photo released by KCNA shows Kim pinning a medal on a recipient.

The nuclear-armed state's weapons research centre "has recently developed exclusive technologies, to be regarded as an event in strengthening the capability for fighting a war", it added without giving details.

With such technologies, it has shown "the course of unique development of the country's military and technological capabilities", it said.

In late June, Kim oversaw tests of a new extended-range multiple rocket launcher and artillery.

- Trilateral drills -

The leadership shuffle comes shortly after joint annual drills between South Korea and the United States wrapped up.

The drills, which are regularly denounced by Pyongyang as preparations for an invasion, were closely watched this year after US President Donald Trump ordered them to be cut short.

Trump criticised the drills as provocative towards the North and bashed Seoul for not supporting his war against Iran.

The US president also praised North Korean leader Kim, whom he met twice during his first term in office, as he eyes a new meeting, potentially this year.

Despite Trump's overtures, North Korea has shown little sign of reciprocating, firing missiles and condemning the scaled-down drills.

Pyongyang has also slammed Washington's approval of arms sales to South Korea and plans to fund programmes documenting human rights abuses in the North.

Military cooperation among Washington and its regional allies is meanwhile set to continue, with South Korea, the United States and Japan due to hold trilateral joint exercises -- called Freedom Edge -- from September 7 to 11 in international waters east and south of South Korea's Jeju Island.

"This exercise is a defensive drill conducted annually by the three countries to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and safeguard peace and stability in the region," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday.