North Korean leader Kim Jong Un convened an expanded meeting of the Central Military Commission, the highest military decision-making body, to discuss important issues regarding the firm establishment of iron-like discipline, as reported by the party’s official newspaper Rodong Sinmun on Friday.
This meeting appears to be a response to the recent accident involving the destroyer’s launching ceremony on May 21, aimed at tightening military morale and discipline. The regime also implemented personnel changes, including demoting Jong Kyong Thaek, the director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), from general to colonel general.
The newspaper reported that Kim presided over the 8th expanded meeting of the 8th Central Military Commission at the party headquarters on Wednesday. The Central Military Commission, chaired by Kim, is the most authoritative body for discussing and deciding military matters.
According to the newspaper, the meeting focused on further strengthening the functions and roles of political organs at all levels within the armed forces and more firmly establishing a revolutionary military system, as well as iron-like discipline and order.
Kim emphasized that continuously enhancing the roles of party organizations and political organs at all levels is crucial for successfully addressing all issues in military development and activities. He outlined key principles and tasks that party committees within the military should consistently uphold in implementing the party’s military lines and policies.
This can be interpreted as a directive to intensify ideological training efforts by party committees responsible for political work in each military branch.
The gathering of high-ranking military officials to emphasize political ideological work and the demotion of responsible personnel appear to be linked to the incident on May 21, when a new 5,000-ton destroyer capsized during its launching ceremony.
The newspaper reported that the commission appointed six new corps-level commanders and made changes to the artillery and security bureau directors. While plans to dispatch some political commissars were mentioned, specific details about the appointments were not disclosed.
Jong Kyong Thaek, the director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA, was seen wearing four-star general insignia during the Central Military Commission meeting on Wednesday. However, he appeared with three-star colonel general insignia at an artillery unit’s firing competition the following day, indicating his demotion likely occurred during the commission meeting.
Other issues addressed at the meeting included: vigorously promoting the construction of important projects with political and military significance, implementing military measures to maintain strategic and tactical superiority based on national security situation analyses, and approving new plans in the defense science and industry sectors.
The newspaper also reported that Kim observed an artillery firing competition held among artillery subunits of large combined units of the KPA on Thursday. Kim emphasized the importance of regularly organizing firing competitions that simulate real combat conditions to prepare artillerymen for immediate accuracy in any situation. He positively assessed the competition results, noting qualitative improvements in artillery capabilities in response to developments in modern warfare.
High-ranking officials accompanying Kim at the firing competition included Pak Jong Chon, party secretary and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Defense Minister No Kwang Chol, Chief of General Staff Ri Yong Gil, and Jong Kyong Thaek, the director of the General Political Bureau of the KPA.
Since the 8th Party Congress in 2021, North Korea has focused on modernizing its military by developing tactics suitable for modern warfare and improving weapon systems. On May 14 and 15, North Korea held its 7th Training Workers’ Conference after a seven-year hiatus to bolster its war readiness and response capabilities.