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North Korea military head Ri Yong-ho 'relieved of post' | |
(30 minutes later) | |
North Korean military chief Ri Yong-ho has been removed from all official posts, according to state media. | North Korean military chief Ri Yong-ho has been removed from all official posts, according to state media. |
As well as being head of the army, he was vice-chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission and held top posts in the ruling Workers' Party. | |
In a short statement, the party said Mr Ri had been removed from his posts "because of illness". | In a short statement, the party said Mr Ri had been removed from his posts "because of illness". |
The BBC's Seoul correspondent Lucy Williamson says there is widespread scepticism about that explanation. | The BBC's Seoul correspondent Lucy Williamson says there is widespread scepticism about that explanation. |
The decision to relieve Mr Ri of his duties came at a meeting of the Workers' Party Central Committee politburo on Sunday, state-run news agency KCNA said. | |
The brief report made no mention of a successor. | |
Key figure | |
Mr Ri was made army chief three years ago under Kim Jong-il, the current leader's father who died in December 2011 after ruling North Korea for almost two decades. | |
The army chief regularly appeared at state occasions beside Kim Jong-il and was seen as a key figure in the transition of power to his son, Kim Jong-un. | |
He was one of seven top officials to accompany the younger Kim as he followed the hearse containing his father's body at his state funeral. | |
This move is now being scrutinised by analysts for signs about which direction Kim Jong-un, seen as young and inexperienced, will take the country in. | |
Our correspondent says control of North Korea's military is seen as key to retaining power in the closed state. | |
In April North Korea defied international warnings to launch a rocket - an action its neighbours called a long-range missile test that contravened UN resolutions. | |
South Korea has also warned that Pyongyang appears to be in the late stages of preparing for a third nuclear test. | |
International talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions have been stalled since 2009. |