December 03, 2023
News

ANALYSIS: Why North Korea appointed a new defense minister

Was Kim Kyok Sik removed for raising tensions?

WASHINGTON D.C. – North Korea announced the appointment of a new defense minister, Jang Jong Nam, to take over Kim Kyok Sik–widely described as a "hawk," and thought to be behind the shelling of Yeonpyong Island in 2010.

The ministry has undergone its third leadership change in the last year and its second in the last seven months.