North Korea dismissed Defence Minister No Kwang Chol on August 29, 2026, demoting him to first vice-director of the Munitions Industry Department as part of a military leadership reshuffle led by Kim Jong Un [1, 2, 3, 4]. Kim Song Gi, the director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, was named the new defence minister [1, 5, 2, 3, 4]. Pak Jong Chon was appointed vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission and promoted to the ruling party's Political Bureau [1, 5, 2, 3, 4].
The changes took place following the conclusion of the annual joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, which North Korea routinely condemns as rehearsals for invasion [1, 3, 4]. This year's US-South Korea exercises were shortened on the order of US President Donald Trump, who deemed them provocative and criticized South Korea over its support for Iran conflict [1, 3, 4]. Despite Trump’s public praise of Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang has continued missile testing and condemned the scaled-down drills [3, 4].
Kim Jong Un also lauded scientists and researchers for technological advances during a ceremony on August 29 or 30, 2026. He awarded top national honors to those who contributed to "resolving scientific and technological problems of epochal significance in developing new combat weapon systems," according to the Korean Central News Agency [1, 2, 3, 4]. Earlier in June, Kim personally supervised tests of new extended-range multiple rocket launcher and artillery systems [1, 3, 4].
The leadership reshuffle aligns with broader structural reorganization plans decided during the August 29 meeting led by Kim Jong Un [1, 2, 3, 4]. North Korea has also criticized US arms sales to South Korea and funding of programs documenting North Korean human rights abuses [3, 4].
