North Korea has sacked Pak Jong-chun, the second most powerful military official in the country after leader Kim Jong-un, state media said, in conjunction with talks between Washington and Seoul on conducting nuclear maneuvers in response to Pyongyang, which recently announced its intention to massively develop its nuclear arsenal.

North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday that Park, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party and secretary of the party's Central Committee, was sacked and replaced by Ri Yong Gil at the committee's annual meeting last week. The agency did not give a reason for the dismissal.

Pyongyang has been changing its leaders frequently, and the party rally at the end of the year is an opportunity to announce reshuffles and other major policy decisions.

The Central Military Commission of the party - which Kim chairs - is the most powerful military decision-making body in the country, and has powers that exceed the Ministry of Defense.

Television footage showed Buck sitting in the first row of the podium with his head down during the meeting, while other members raised their hands to vote on some issues, and his seat later appeared vacant.

Promotions and achievements

Pak quickly rose through the ranks from a one-star artillery chief in 2015 to a four-star general in 2020, thanks to his contributions to North Korea's advances in short-range missile technology.

Pak was promoted in late 2020 to the rank of Marshal, the highest military rank under leader Kim, and he became a staunch opponent of joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States in November last year.

Pak's dismissal coincided with talks between Washington and Seoul on conducting joint exercises for US nuclear weapons in the face of the growing threats to North Korea, which possesses nuclear weapons, according to South Korean President Yoon Sok Yol.

In an interview with the Chosun Ilbo newspaper published on Monday, Yoon acknowledged that the US "nuclear umbrella" and its "extended deterrence" were no longer enough to reassure the South Koreans.

The South Korean president said, "Nuclear weapons belong to the United States, but their preparation, information sharing, maneuvers, and exercises must be conducted jointly between South Korea and the United States," adding that Washington receives this idea "positively."


new plan

These statements come a day after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for a "massive" increase in his country's nuclear arsenal, including mass production of tactical nuclear weapons and the development of new missiles for use in counter-nuclear strikes, according to the official North Korean News Agency.

Kim also indicated that Pyongyang would develop "another intercontinental ballistic missile system" to counter what he described as US and South Korean hostility.

Military tensions on the Korean peninsula escalated sharply in 2022, with North Korea conducting weapons tests almost every month, including its most advanced intercontinental ballistic missile launch ever.

Last year saw Pyongyang launch a record number of missiles.

On Saturday, North Korea launched 3 short-range ballistic missiles, and conducted another launch at dawn on Sunday.


An unprecedented move

According to local reports, South Korean President Yoon Sok-yol ordered military commanders on Sunday to punish any provocations from North Korea.

And the South Korean Yonhap News Agency stated that this came in a virtual conversation of the president with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Kim Sung-kyeom, and other leaders.

South Korea launched drones across the border into North Korea for the first time last Monday, in an unprecedented military move in response to the Pyongyang regime sending 5 drones into South Korean airspace, according to Bloomberg News.