North Korea’s Kim sacks second most powerful military official

Analysts say Pak replaced following dissatisfaction over South Korea’s drone intrusion response

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, attends a ceremony of donating 600mm super-large multiple launch rocket system at a garden of the Workers’ Party of Korea headquarters in Pyongyang (AP)

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has sacked the country’s second most powerful military official, in a major reshuffle that promoted twice the number of officials than in 2022.

Pak Jong-chon, who oversaw and led the country’s unprecedented number of missile tests in 2022, “was recalled” and defence minister Ri Yong Gilice was installed as the new vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, according to state media KCNA.

The vast reshuffle at the annual plenary meeting of the Workers’ Party of Korea last week included names of at least 53 that are expected to impact military and regional heads of party and government.