North Korea appoints new army chief of staff

According to AP, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 22 released images showing that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appointed hardline general Kim Kyok Sik as the new Chief of the General Staff of the army.

Leader Kim Jong Un has appointed a new Chief of the General Staff of the army.
(Source: AP)

The news of Kim Kyok Sik's promotion was announced in a May 22 KCNA report about a delegation seeing off a special envoy to China at Pyongyang airport. However, KCNA did not provide further details about the appointment.

Kim Kyok Sik previously served as chief of the general staff of the army until 2009. He was also defense minister until recently when he was removed and the post was given to a lesser-known general.

Mr. Kim Kyok Sik once commanded battalions believed to have carried out attacks in 2010 that killed 50 South Koreans.

In North Korea, the position of chief of the army general staff is considered a higher position than the minister of defense./.

According to (Vietnam+) - DT