The leader of the Hermit Kingdom has fired two very important members: the head of Kim Jong-un’s security and the country’s spy chief. These telltale signs of internal issues in the country come while the mystery of Kim Jong Un’s status has not been solved.
Jang Kil Song, the head of North Korea’s military intelligence agency, known as the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), has been sacked. The source of this information is the Korea Herald, which in turn cited a report created by South Korea’s Unification Ministry.
The role of the Reconnaissance General Bureau is a very important one. They organize the most important attacks carried out by the Hermit Kingdom, such as spy missions, including those targeting the United States of America. South Korea says that the agency is responsible for the attack via torpedo carried out against a South Korean vessel known Cheonan, which led to the deaths of 46 sailors.
In the same annual report, the replacement of Jang Kil Song is said to be Rim Kwang II, a general in the North Korean army. This information is believed to originate from key figures in North Korea. No reason, however, has been mentioned for this change in personnel.
The other unexpected switch happened when the army general, who has been in charge of Kim Jong Un’s security outfit since 2010, back when Kim Jong-Il was the country’s leader, was replaced. The new head of security is reportedly Kwak Chang Sik, a relative newcomer to the North Korean regime.
This report comes in a difficult period for North Korea, as its dictator stays out of the public eye, which is not characteristic to him. After three weeks in which he made no public appearance at all, he showed up at a red-ribbon event at the beginning of the month. The event led to some rumors about how a body double could have actually shown up.
This article was originally published in the New York Post.