On July 15, the Democratic Republic of Korea's (DPRK) Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) decided to relieve the powerful chief of the nation's army, Ri Yong Ho, of his post and responsibilities. What is more interesting is that the news was immediately released to the world through the country's official KCNA News Agency on July 16.
DPRK's former army chief Ri Yong Ho [File photo]
Despite reports that Ri was dismissed due to illness, many foreign politicians believe that his removal was the result of a power struggle between the North Korea's top leaders. Some analysts said that Ri's rapid rise through the ranks had caused friction among the country's senior military officials.
Ri has been a key member of North Korea's military leadership in recent years. He was the commander of the country's military parade in 2002, 2007 and 2012. When Kim Jong Un was named as the successor of Kim Jong Il, Ri was appointed as the chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army (KPA). He was also the youngest vice marshal in the history of North Korea. And on September 8, 2010, Kim Jong Un and Ri were named vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission of the WPK. Some media reports speculated that Ri had been instrumental in helping Kim gain military leadership.
According to reports in South Korean media, Ri was dismissed due to a falling out with Kim, firstly over the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, which was believed to be Ri's idea, and then there was the debacle of the failed missile launch on May 4. It is not known whether Ri has been made a scapegoat for these failures, but it has become a widely debated topic.
There is no question, though that Ri's dismissal has consolidated Kim's authority. Ri's dismissal meant Kim has eliminated a stumbling block to his reform and opening-up ambition.
Since Kim Jong Un came to power, his actions have shown North Korea in a different light. He has traveled extensively to inspect people's living conditions and tried to build a rapport with the public. He also watched and praised the Mickey Mouse performance staged in the country. Since the beginning of this year, North Korea has sent numerous soft signals to South Korea, expressing hopes of more bilateral talks.
Kim also stressed that he will ensure that his people will have enough to eat. In a speech he made in April, Kim said: "It is the party's steadfast determination to ensure that the people will never have to tighten their belts again, and make sure they enjoy the riches and affluence of socialism to their heart's content." In his speech, Kim signaled his determination that more energy and finance will be devoted to economic development and the improvement of people's lives.
More importantly, Kim takes a pragmatic approach to the governance of the nation. Reports have said that the KWP Director of International Affairs Kim Yong Il visited China in April in order to make preparations for Kim's official visit to the country. Such a visit would demonstrate to the nation and the world the friendly ties which exist between the two countries and will help North Korea to obtain more aid.
North Korea is determined to shift its focus to economic development and one pragmatic measure which aims to ensure that this happens is the opening-up and reform policy. According to media reports, a delegation of 20 North Korean trade officials and scholars started to receive free training in Tianjin from late May at the invitation of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. Apparently, the main purpose of the training was for the scholars to learn about how China developed its special economic zones. Sources said that the North Korea would export to China a 40,000-strong labor force, some of whom arrived in northeast China several months ago. China has subsequently issued 20,000 employment visas to the North Korea nationals. There is little question that such personal exchanges will help to lay a solid foundation for North Korea's opening-up and reform.
