North Korea's Kim sacks No. 2 military official
STORY: North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has sacked the second most powerful military official after him
according to state media.
Pak Jong Chon was the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party
and a secretary of the party's Central Committee.
He has been replaced by Ri Yong Gil at the committee's annual meeting last week, the official KCNA news agency said on Sunday.
No reason for the change was given.
Pyongyang regularly revamps its leadership and the year-end party gathering has often been used to announce personnel reshuffles and major policy decisions.
The party's Central Military Commission, which is headed by Kim, is considered the country' most powerful military decision-making body, above the defence ministry.
Pak's replacement came as Kim called for developing new intercontinental ballistic missiles and a larger nuclear arsenal to counter the U.S. and South Korea as key to North Korea’s 2023 defence strategy.
