By Kim Young-jin
A recent shuffling around of military officials within the Kim Jong-un regime has prompted speculation that the young leader may be battling to maintain a grip on his army 11 months after taking power.
Seoul officials have confirmed that several elite officers have been demoted in recent weeks, including recently-elevated vice marshal Hyon Yong-chol as well as Generals Choe Bu-il and Kim Yong-chol. This coincides with a shuffling around of officials in provincial areas.
The moves come during a revitalization of the party and cabinet, the entities seeking to update the North's moribund economy after the military dominance of state affairs under Kim Jong-il, the current leader's late father.
Observers raise the possibility that the younger Kim's move to strip the military of its lucrative hold on export activities have rubbed some the wrong way.
Meanwhile, Gen. Kim Kyok-sik, said to have been involved in a deadly attack on Yeonpyeong Island in 2010, has regained his four-star status after being stripped of a star, reportedly due to damage incurred by Pyongyang during Seoul's response to the shelling.
"Kim Jong-un is dissatisfied with the military elite and is trying to create new loyalties in the regime," said Baek Seung-joo of the Korea Institute for Defense Analysis. "The remaining military elites will have a high sense of tension to demonstrate their loyalty to the new regime."
The expert added that Kim's dissatisfaction is over a failed long-range rocket launch in April and the recent defection of a soldier across the demilitarized zone straddling the two Koreas.
Kim has been purging his regime since taking power, with reports suggesting multiple officials have been executed for inappropriate behavior during the mourning period for his father, who died of heart failure in December. Kim Chol, vice minister of the army, was reportedly "obliterated" by a mortar round.
The young leader could be leaning toward military leaders with political savvy, capable of inducing loyalty within the ranks. This would contrast to his later father Kim Jong-il who preferred field generals.
In July, Kim dismissed the chief of the military's general staff, Vice Marshal Ri Yong-ho, and him replaced him with a Choe Yong-hae said to have close ties to the ruling family.
While leader Kim often pays heed to his father's "military-first" policy, analysts say the regime is trying to paint him as more people-oriented by prioritizing economic development.
Earlier this month, the Choson Sinbo, a Japan-based pro-North Korean newspaper, said the role of the cabinet has significantly increased, especially in the planning and implementation of North Korea's economic policies.
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