North Korea replaces top officials guarding Kim: South Korea

Seoul, Jan 13 North Korea has replaced its top officials in charge of guarding leader Kim Jong-un in recent years, Seoul's unification ministry said on Tuesday.

North Korea has changed the chiefs of three major North Korean units defending the security of the North's leader -- the Guard Office of the ruling party, the Guard Department of the State Affairs Commission and the Guard Command -- the ministry said in its analysis of the major reshuffle of North Korean officials in 2025.

The ministry did not disclose the exact timing or the reason for the replacement, but it said the changed chiefs of such agencies were detected during a military parade marking the 80th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in October 2025, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"It is noticeable that North Korea has replaced officials in charge of guarding the 'supreme leader' in a relatively short period of time," a ministry official said.

Meanwhile, Ri Pyong-chol, a top North Korean military official, is presumed to be removed from the post of vice chairman of the WPK's Military Central Commission, the ministry said.

North Korea saw the number of members of the praesidium of the political bureau fall to four from the previous five with Ri's presumed demotion to a member.

The praesidium currently comprises the North's leader Kim; Premier Pak Thae-song; Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the parliament's standing committee; and Jo Yong-won, a party secretary. With Ri's removal, Pak Jong-chon has become the sole vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the construction site of a memorial for the North's soldiers killed in Russia's war against Ukraine, hailing their sacrifice as an "eternal cornerstone" for Pyongyang, state media reported.

Kim "visited the construction site of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at the Overseas Military Operations" in Pyongyang the previous day and dug the first shovelful of earth for the museum's tree planting, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Images released by the North's state media showed Kim's wife, Ri Sol-ju, and daughter Ju-ae accompanied Kim at the event, with Ju-ae seen digging the ground along with her father in the tree planting.

Kim said the sacrifice of North Korean troops "would serve as the solid root and eternal cornerstone supporting the mightiness of the motherly DPRK," according to the KCNA.

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of the country.

While awarding official commendations in August last year to soldiers who were dispatched to support Russia in the war, Kim unveiled a plan to create a special street in Pyongyang commemorating their sacrifice, with construction of the museum launched in October.

It marks the first time North Korea will build a museum commemorating soldiers killed in action overseas.

North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops and conventional weapons to support Russia's war efforts, with thousands believed to have been killed in action.

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