North Korea’s Minister of State Security, Kim Won Hong, has been dismissed from his position, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification (MoU) said on Friday, without providing evidence for the claim.

The State Security Department (SSD) is North Korea’s regime political security organization and is responsible for spying on citizens and running political prisons.

“Minister of State Security, Kim Won Hong had been demoted from general to major-general, and was dismissed in mid-January after being investigated by the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD) of the Party,” Jeong Joon-hee, an MoU spokesperson, told reporters during a regular news briefing.

“The leadership of the Party is currently conducting