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Kimmie shakes up Nork military
SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- In a rare extensive military shakeup, North Korea said its leader Kim Jong-il appointed a new defense minister and chief of General Staff, spawning speculations about his intentions as cross-border tension mounts. Unusual in that it was even announced, the reshuffle reported by the state-run media on Wednesday has drawn attention because of the sensitive timing.The new top military brass appeared to be combat savvy and are known to be close confidants to Kim, analysts said. The shakeup should not be overstretched to portend imminent military action, they cautioned, but seems to carry an intended message -- the aging leader is still in firm control of the North's military even after a reported stroke in August, and any important decisions, including missile activities and the naming of his successor, will be his own. Cha Doo-hyeogn, a North Korea specialist with the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, a state-run think tank, said the North Korean leader maintains his absolute power by regularly changing the top military leaders. "Kim promotes the military as the nation's top priority, but he knows the danger of it. Characteristic of a regime controlled by one man, the leader does not give all the power to a single person," Cha said. "With the shakeup, Kim Jong-il is showing that he is powerful and is the only one who can decide on military action and a successor." North Korean reports gave no background information, but the new appointees are believed to be veteran soldiers credited for their combat strategies than for their political connections, analysts said. Kim Yong-chun, new minister of the People's Armed Forces of the National Defense Commission, equivalent to South Korea's defense minister, orchestrated the North's military when its navy clashed with South Korea along the volatile western sea border in 1999 and 2002, leaving scores of soldiers dead or wounded on both sides. The western sea border was unilaterally drawn by the U.N. Command following the Korean War, and Pyongyang insists it should be redrawn farther south. Little is known about another new official, Ri Yong-ho, the new chief of the Korean People's Army General Staff, the counterpart to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff. Ri's predecessor issued a warning on Jan. 17 that the North's military will take an "all-out confrontational posture" against South Korea if Seoul adheres to its hardline policy. Seoul analysts cautioned against reading too much into the shakeup. Paik Hak-soon of the Sejong Institute, an independent think tank, said while the timing is noteworthy the North Korean leader customarily changes officials to keep their power in check. Who takes the posts is not so important, as the military is controlled by the party in the North Korean system," he said. "It would be extreme to connect this to a missile decision or a border clash." Seoul officials described North Korea's announcement of the shakeup as "unusual." It may be an internal message aimed at drawing citizens' attention to the heightened tension with South Korea, said Lee Sang-min, an official with the Unification Ministry in charge of North Korean politics. More reshuffles may follow as North Korea holds Posted by: Steve White 2009-02-14 |
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