North Korea sacks Kim Jong-un's No. 2 military official as tensions escalate

North Korea has sacked Pak Jong Chon, the country’s second most powerful military official, the state media reported on Sunday. The North Korean politico is a member of the presidium of the Politburo of the Worker's Party of Korea. Chon is touted as the second most powerful military leader in North Korea after Kim Jong Un, and it looks like the power dynamics in the authoritarian regime have changed. On Sunday, the North Korean central news agency, KCNA reported that Chon was replaced by Ri Yong Gil. The apparent change became visible at the committee's annual meeting last week. 

The North Korean marshall was also absent from the photos released on Monday by the KCNA. The picture was clicked during Kim Jong Un’s New Year’s day visit to the Kumsusan Palace where the bodies of his late grandfather and his father are resting. What made Chon the second most powerful military leader of North Korea, is the fact that he was the vice president of the party’s Central Military Commission which is headed by the Supreme Leader of North Korea.

According to KCNA, Chon made a comeback in the inner circles of the authoritarian regime after he was elevated in the politburo group in 2021. Chon who is the Chief of General staff of the Korean People’s Army is also known for his anti-US military stance. 

Chon got fired while North Korea plans to expand its nuclear capabilities

The news of Chon getting fired came to light after it was reported that Kim Jong-Un has vowed to expand the country's nuclear capabilities on Saturday. According to The New York Times, the North Korean supreme leader called for the mass production of short-range nuclear missiles that can be used against South Korea. The leader expressed his intentions during a five-day meeting of the ruling Workers Party. On Saturday, it was also reported that the country had fired three short-range ballistic missiles in the country’s eastern waters.