A top military official in North Korea has been dismissed by new leader Kim Jong Un.
According to North Korea's KCNA news agency, Vice Marshal Ri Yong-ho, a top advisor to Kim's late father, Kim Jong Il, was removed as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission during a meeting on Sunday. It was not immediately clear if Ri--a long time army officer--was also removed from his military posts.
North Korean officials said Ri, who is thought to be 70, was ill--but according to Reuters, Ri "showed no sign of ill-health" a week ago, when Kim Jong Un and other senior military officials attended a memorial honoring late North Korea founder Kim Il Sung, Kim's grandfather.
According to the news service, the move suggests Kim--who last week was seen on state television with a mystery woman at several public events, including the memorial--may be "purging the ruling elite to strengthen [his] grip on the secretive state," and "jazzing up the ruling family dynasty's normally dour image."
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