NK leader removes long-standing military man in 1st purge

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday purged Ri Young Ho, vice marshal of the North Korean People`s Army.

Coming seven months after his inauguration, the first purge by the young leader shows that he is unlike his late father Kim Jong Il. The elder Kim was seen as cautious and conservative, but his successor seems drastic and bold.

Lee Jong-seok, former South Korean unification minister and a North Korea expert, said in a 2001 book, "Since Kim Jong Il officially emerged as the new potential leader of North Korea, there has been little top-level reshuffles and top officials seldom lost their positions."

Kim Jong Il maintained this stance for three years after his father and predecessor Kim Il Sung died in July 1994. In September 1997, the communist regime executed So Kwan Hui, former agricultural secretary of the ruling Workers` Party.

Kim Jong Un is apparently replacing top officials based on competence and loyalty. Pyongyang`s decision to announce Ri`s removal from his post reflects Kim Jong Un`s leadership style that focuses on transparency enhancement.

Skeptics, however, say the leader`s management style reflects a weak power base. While his father firmly laid the grounds for his succession over 20 years, the son is in dire need to solidify this leadership, which has come in the form of purging officials deemed less capable and disloyal.

Once an official is removed from an important post, he or she is bound to face the threat of death, though some return to posts.

Jang Song Taek, Kim Jong Il`s brother-in-law and now believed to be the No. 2 man in the North, was purged in 2004 after being accused of fomenting factions but was reinstated after two years. Former Prime Minister Pak Pong Ju returned after being purged in 2007 over promoting economic reforms.

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