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KCNA: North Korea names new military chief

17 July 2012 03:47 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. North Korea has named Hyon Yong-Chol to the post of vice marshal of the army, state media said Tuesday, a day after it emerged that the countryâ€™s army chief had been relieved of all his posts, APA reports quoting Associated Press.

"Hyon Yong-Chol was awarded the title of vice marshal of the Korean Peopleâ€™s Army," said the official KCNA news agency in a brief statement.

The decision was taken on Monday by the ruling partyâ€™s central military commission and the countryâ€™s national defence commission, said the statement.

State media announced on Monday that army chief Ri Yong-Ho had been relieved of all his posts due to illness.

Vice marshal Ri was regarded as one of the key figures who supported new leader Kim Jong-Un in the transition following the death in December of his father Kim Jong-Il who ruled the reclusive state for 17 years.

Analysts expressed scepticism about the official reason for his departure and said the move showed Jong-Un tightening his control over the powerful military.

Ri became head of the Northâ€™s 1.2 million-strong armed forces -- one of the worldâ€™s largest -- in 2009 and had often been seen accompanying Kim Jong-Un on visits to military bases this year.

A meeting of top officials on Sunday took the decision to strip him of all his posts.

He had been a member of the ruling partyâ€™s highest body, which has only a handful of members, and a vice-chairman of the central military commission, according to KCNA.