North Korea has replaced a front-line military commander who played a direct role in the country’s deadly landmine blasts near the border in August and a following exchange of live fire with the South, sources said Thursday.
“Immediately after the landmine and shelling provocations, North Korea replaced the commander of the second corps Kim Sang-ryong with Pang Tu-sop in late August,” one of the government sources said.
In the reshuffle, Kim was assigned as the commander of the 9th corps, stationed far back from the inter-Korean border.
North Korea’s 6th and 15th military divisions are in charge of defending the military demarcation line facing South Korea under the leadership of the second corps.
Kim is believed to be among several military officials deeply involved in the provocation that escalated military tension with South Korea.
North Korea buried landmines in the southern part of the Demilitarized Zone, which blew up and maimed two South Korean soldiers in August. With an exchange of live fire between the countries later in the month, inter-Korean tension escalated before a last minute negotiation on Aug. 25 ended it.
The reshuffle may have been decided in a ruling party meeting held right after the inter-Korean negotiation.
Holding the enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea on Aug. 28, the North said it sacked some members of the commission, but details were not released then.
“Under the quasi-war state declared after the landmine and shelling provocations, the second corps’ shoddy artillery deployment may have been the reason (the reshuffle),” another government source said.
It is yet to be seen whether the decision was punishment, he said, adding that by any measure, it has something to do with the quasi-war posture the military took during that tense period.
Despite the reshuffle, Kim is believed to be maintaining his position inside the powerful military group, given he was listed as a member of the funeral committee of influential government figures set up after the death of Ri Ul-sol, marshal of North Korea’s military, last Saturday.
The commanders of the North Korean front-line divisions are also staying at their current posts, according to the sources. (Yonhap)
