A member of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) has been appointed to the head of the powerful General Political Bureau of North Korea's armed forces, raising speculation that it might be aimed at strengthening the ruling party's grip on the military.
While reporting Kim Jong-un's on-the-spot inspection at a construction site in Wonsan, an eastern coastal city of the North, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said Army Gen. Kim Su-gil was among those who greeted the leader, referring to him as director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army.
North Korea`s leader Kim Jong-un. Yonhap
The bureau is known as a powerful organ in charge of personnel affairs and censorship of the military's executive staff. It had been led by Kim Jong-gak, who replaced Hwang Pyong-so in February.
Kim Su-gil, a career soldier, has served as chairman of the Pyongyang City Committee of the WPK since April 2014.
He is known as one of the senior North Korean officials involved in the ouster and execution of Jang Song-thaek, Kim Jong-un's uncle, in December 2013.
His return to the military signifies efforts to strengthen the ruling party's control over the armed forces.
The replacement is presumed to have been made at the first enlarged meeting of the seventh central military commission of the WPK on May 17.
Kim was among the so-called friendship visiting group of party officials, who recently visited China, During their May 14-24 trip, they reportedly met Chinese President Xi Jinping and toured major industrial areas in an apparent bid to learn China's experience in its reform efforts and opening up of its market. (Yonhap)
