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| Kim Jong-un (File Photo) |
By Tae-jun Kang
The North Korean leader appears to be trying to strengthen the Workers’ Party of Korea’s control over the military.
Kim Jong-un appears to be tightening his grip over North Korea’s military.
This week, North Korean state media reported that Kim Jong-un recently convened the third meeting of the battalion commanders and political instructors of the Korean People’s Army. The meeting appeared aimed at least in part at strengthening the Workers’ Party of Korea’s control over the military.
The meeting was said to be held on October 3 and 4 of this year, a time in which Kim hadn’t been seen in public for weeks on end.
Similarly, earlier this year Kim Jong-un ordered the mass demotions of many officers within the North Korean military, the Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun reported on November 3.
According to Mainichi, Kim Jong-un was dissatisfied with an artillery corps under KPA Unit 681 that he inspected back in April. As a result, the unit was disbanded, and 167 military officials were demoted. Mainichi’s report was based on a story that appeared in the North Korean state publication, the Korean People’s Army Magazine.
Read the full story at The Diplomat