Kim Jong Un's overhaul of his top military leadership a week before a planned summit with President Trump may be a sign that the North Korean leader is worried about opposition from the country's powerful armed forces as he heads into the talks, some analysts said Monday.

All three of North Korea's top military officials have been replaced, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Sunday, citing an unnamed intelligence official.

"He's probably got fairly broad pushback from his military,' said Bruce Bennett, an analyst at RAND Corp. "He is still facing some real threats.'

The level of those threats could have a direct impact on the summit scheduled for June 12 in Singapore and raise questions about how independent Kim can be in negotiating with Trump.

Opposition from the country's powerful armed forces could limit how far Kim is willing to go in dismantling his nuclear arsenal. At a minimum Kim could cite those concerns to Trump as an excuse for moving slowly with denuclearization, Bennett said.

The generals probably disapprove of his "seeming willingness to make concessions' with the United States, said Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul.

The military is one of the most powerful institutions in North Korea, and its top leaders view the country's nuclear arsenal as essential to its influence in the country.

Kim's latest overhaul may be designed to quell that opposition, though it is unclear whether Kim's action is aimed at eliminating a threat before it emerged or whether he is reacting to growing discontent among military leaders.

In February, South Korea's National Intelligence Service briefed Seoul lawmakers on discontent within North Korea's armed forces.

Still, some analysts see the changes as part of a broader effort to consolidate control and replace elderly leaders and may not reflect opposition to nuclear talks.

Kim has frequently made changes in the military's top leadership, particularly in the years immediately after assuming power in 2011.

"Kim Jong Un is deeply distrustful of his generals,' Lankov said. "He knows that they can challenge his rule, and he keeps them under control.'

Kim "is continuing to consolidate power by placing loyalists and younger men in key positions, said Sheila Miyoshi Jager, a professor at Oberlin College and author of Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea.

"I tend to think that the personnel changes are not necessarily directly tied to the summit and denuclearization talks," she said.

No Kwang-chol, the first vice minister of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, replaced Pak Yong-sik as defense chief, Yonhap reported. Ri Myong-su, chief of the armed force's general staff, was replaced by his deputy, Ri Yong-gil.

Earlier, Army Gen. Kim Su-gil's replaced Kim Jong-gak as director of the General Political Bureau of the North Korean army.

But details about the changes, including when they occurred, remain sketchy, suggesting they may not represent a purge, Jager said.

Kim has proved himself ruthless in eliminating rivals. He is suspected of ordering the killing of his exiled half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, a potential rival who was poisoned with a toxic nerve agent in Malaysia last year. Kim also executed five senior government officials with anti-aircraft guns, according to South Korea.

The most recent changes were not violent and appear to be in line with ongoing efforts to prevent any one leader or group of leaders from accumulating too much power.

But the changes are being closely scrutinized because they are coming only days before the summit with Trump.

"His goal is clear: To make sure they will not be able to create a power base, to establish close connections which can be used for a coup,' Lankov said.

More: Behind Kim Jong Un's new role as peacemaker: Confidence in his nukes played a key role

More: North Korea's change of tone: Is Kim Jong Un in total control?</s>South Korea is monitoring developments in the North's armed forces, it said Monday after reports Pyongyang replaced three of its top military officials ahead of a summit with the United States.

President Donald Trump is due to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore, with Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal high on the agenda.

Reports said the reshuffle could be aimed at eliminating resistance to the peace overtures.

Pyongyang's armed forces, known as the Korean People's Army, are immensely influential in the North and a centre of power in their own right, symbolised by the way Kim is habitually flanked by generals on one side and civilians on the other when attending major ceremonial events.

Late last month the North's state media revealed that Kim Su Gil had been appointed director of the military's powerful General Political Bureau (GPB), replacing Kim Jong Gak.

According to Yonhap news agency, which cited intelligence sources, the chief of the general staff Ri Myong Su has also been replaced by his deputy, Ri Yong Gil.

Defence minister Pak Yong Sik has been succeeded by No Kwang Chol, previously first vice minister, it added.

The wholesale reshuffle would be unusual if confirmed, Seoul's unification ministry said.

According to researchers at NK Leadership Watch, the change at the top of the GPB "represents a continuation of tightening Party control over the KPA".

The political bureau could be in a position to resist policy decisions by the leadership or try to profit from future South Korean economic aid, it said.

"Both of these things lend themselves to creating alternate power centres," it noted.

But new GPB director Kim Su Gil was a "highly trusted" lieutenant of leader Kim Jong Un, it added, who appointed him to the Pyongyang party committee -- once a power base for his uncle Jang Song Thaek -- after having the older man executed for treason in 2013.

Reports said the wider changes could be aimed at preventing objections in the North's senior military ranks to any sudden changes in the country's nuclear policy.

The country remains technically at war after hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, and Kim's father and predecessor Kim Jong Il expounded a "Songun" or "military-first" policy that is a foundational plank of the North's ideology.

Pyongyang has long argued that it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself against a possible invasion by the US.

Yonhap cited the intelligence source as saying No Kwang Chol, the new defence minister, was known as a "moderate".

"The North appears to have brought in new figures... as the previous officials lacked flexibility in thinking," the source said.

But analysts said the personnel change was more likely a response to an internal matter.

"It's meaningless to divide North Korean officials into hardliners and moderates," said Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University.

The personnel change was probably intended to implement the new economy-centred policies, he said, and officials with a better understanding in the area had been appointed.

No had formerly overseen the military's financial issues as the chair of the Second Economy Commission, Kim said.

"It looks like they needed someone who can have a firm grip on the military and dynamically push ahead with the new policies amid changes in US-North Korea relations," he added.</s>US officials believe there was some dissension in the military about Kim Jong Un's approaches to South Korea and the United States.

WASHINGTON: North Korea's top three military officials have been removed from their posts, a senior US official said on Sunday (Jun 3), as US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prepare to meet on Jun 12 in Singapore.

The US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was commenting on a report by South Korea's Yonhap news agency that all three of the North's top military officials were believed to have been replaced.

Trump on Friday revived the summit after cancelling it a week earlier. The United States is seeking a negotiated end to North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.

US officials believe there was some dissension in the military about Kim's approaches to South Korea and the United States.

The US official did not identify the three military officials. Yonhap identified them as defence chief Pak Yong-sik; Ri Myong-su, chief of the Korean People's Army's (KPA) general staff; and Kim Jong-gak, director of the KPA's General Political Bureau.

Trump wants North Korea to "denuclearise," meaning to get rid of its nuclear arsenal, in return for relief from economic sanctions. North Korea's leadership is believed to regard nuclear weapons as crucial to its survival.

Citing an unnamed intelligence official, Yonhap said No Kwang-chol, first vice minister of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, had replaced Pak Yong-sik as defence chief, while Ri Myong-su was replaced by his deputy, Ri Yong-gil.

It said Army General Kim Su-gil's replacement of Kim Jong-gak as director of the KPA's General Political Bureau was confirmed in a North Korean state media report last month.

The White House, State Department, CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to requests for official comment.

Lower-level US-North Korean talks to prepare for the summit are continuing but have made only "halting progress," according to a second US official briefed on the discussions.

That official said US negotiators' efforts to press for definitions of immediate, comprehensive, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation by North Korea had run into opposition from the White House.

In a remarkable shift in tone eight days after cancelling the summit, citing Pyongyang's "open hostility," Trump welcomed North Korea's former intelligence chief Kim Yong Chol to the White House on Friday, afterward exchanging smiles and handshakes.</s>South Korea is monitoring developments in the North’s armed forces, it said Monday after reports Pyongyang replaced three of its top military officials ahead of a summit with the United States.

President Donald Trump is due to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore, with Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal high on the agenda.

Reports said the reshuffle could be aimed at eliminating resistance to the peace overtures.

Pyongyang’s armed forces, known as the Korean People’s Army, are immensely influential in the North and a centre of power in their own right, symbolised by the way Kim is habitually flanked by generals on one side and civilians on the other when attending major ceremonial events.

Late last month the North’s state media revealed that Kim Su Gil had been appointed director of the military’s powerful General Political Bureau (GPB), replacing Kim Jong Gak.

According to Yonhap news agency, which cited intelligence sources, the chief of the general staff Ri Myong Su has also been replaced by his deputy, Ri Yong Gil.

Defence minister Pak Yong Sik has been succeeded by No Kwang Chol, previously first vice minister, it added.

The wholesale reshuffle would be unusual if confirmed, Seoul’s unification ministry said.

According to researchers at NK Leadership Watch, the change at the top of the GPB “represents a continuation of tightening Party control over the KPA”.

The political bureau could be in a position to resist policy decisions by the leadership or try to profit from future South Korean economic aid, it said.

“Both of these things lend themselves to creating alternate power centres,” it noted.

But new GPB director Kim Su Gil was a “highly trusted” lieutenant of leader Kim Jong Un, it added, who appointed him to the Pyongyang party committee — once a power base for his uncle Jang Song Thaek — after having the older man executed for treason in 2013.

Reports said the wider changes could be aimed at preventing objections in the North’s senior military ranks to any sudden changes in the country’s nuclear policy.

The country remains technically at war after hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, and Kim’s father and predecessor Kim Jong Il expounded a “Songun” or “military-first” policy that is a foundational plank of the North’s ideology.

Pyongyang has long argued that it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself against a possible invasion by the US.

Yonhap cited the intelligence source as saying No Kwang Chol, the new defence minister, was known as a “moderate”.

“The North appears to have brought in new figures… as the previous officials lacked flexibility in thinking,” the source said.

But analysts said the personnel change was more likely a response to an internal matter.

“It’s meaningless to divide North Korean officials into hardliners and moderates,” said Kim Dong-yub, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University.

The personnel change was probably intended to implement the new economy-centred policies, he said, and officials with a better understanding in the area had been appointed.

No had formerly overseen the military’s financial issues as the chair of the Second Economy Commission, Kim said.

“It looks like they needed someone who can have a firm grip on the military and dynamically push ahead with the new policies amid changes in US-North Korea relations,” he added.</s>North Korea's top three military officials have been replaced ahead of an historic summit between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump, according to multiple reports.

All three appear to have been replaced by younger Kim loyalists, part of an ongoing transformation of the country's political and military establishment since the young leader took power in 2011.

US intelligence officials and country experts say they move seems to have been driven more by concerns about potential corruption, and Kim's desire to maintain tight internal control, than any wariness about a coup attempt.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing an unnamed intelligence official, reported that defense chief Pak Yong Sik had been replaced by No Kwang Chol, while Ri Myong Su, chief of the Korean People's Army (KPA) general staff, had been replaced by his deputy, Ri Yong Gil.

Army general Kim Su Gil's replacement of Kim Jong Gak as director of the KPA's general political bureau was previously referenced in North Korean state media, and confirmed Monday by South Korea's Unification Ministry, which deals with North Korean affairs.

"All these (promoted) guys are top Kim Jong Un guys," said Michael Madden, author of the highly respected North Korea Leadership Watch blog. "All three of them have held very sensitive and high level positions under Kim Jong Un, they're very loyal (to him), and all have experience interacting with foreign delegations."

The three men replaced, Pak, Ri and Kim, are 68, 81 and 77 years old respectively.

US officials believe Kim Jong Un's decision to replace the three officials may have been driven by his concerns the three were in positions to corruptly take advantage of outside investment coming into North Korea.

Two US officials who monitor North Korea developments closely tell CNN that Kim is concerned that he could risk his own ability to control and oversee outside involvement if North Korea opens to foreign investment. Kim, officials say, is determined to ensure any economic advantage comes to him and his immediate family and loyalists.

Shoring up power

Madden said the reshuffling at the top of the North Korean military was likely done for a number of reasons, among them preparation for the Kim-Trump talks and future South Korean negotiations and exchanges.

But he also emphasized the economic aspects of Kim's move. In particular, the military's General Political Bureau (GPB) is responsible for auditing and overseeing the financial operations of the KPA, which controls a large number of trading corporations and other businesses which could be highly involved in any future inter-Korean trade or infrastructure projects.

Political commissars under the bureau are stationed throughout the KPA and can influence the army's activity at all levels.

"(Kim) is not going to want these military commissars helping themselves to any of this assistance coming to the North," Madden said. "That was a problem during the sunshine period, a lot of misappropriation and malfeasance."

He added that the size and breadth of the GPB responsibilities is such that, more than any other North Korean organization, it presents the most realistic potential threat to Kim's own power.

"From about June 2017 to earlier this year, the KPA general political bureau was under investigation by the (ruling Worker's Party), the first time in 20 years that the GPB was under investigation," Madden said.

By bringing the GPB firmly under the Party's and his own control, Kim is likely looking to avoid a repeat of the extreme action he had to take against his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, early into his rule.

Jang, previously one of the most powerful men in North Korea, was purged and executed in 2013 after he reportedly built up an alternate power base to his nephew.

Korea experts said Kim's ouster of the three military officials likely wasn't driven by fears they would topple him.

"I'd be cautious about saying the leadership shuffle is a sign of Kim's weakness," Jung Pak, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a former deputy national intelligence officer in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

"It's a sign he's comfortable shuffling people around," she said, adding that it's also a way to consolidate influence and avoid the formation of other power centers.

"When you do lop off some senior officials ... you create a whole different cohort of people who are loyal to you," Pak said.

Both Pak and Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow for Northeast Asia at The Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center, speaking at an event organized by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that North Korea's overlapping system of informants gives Kim an added element of safety.

A coup attempt "hasn't happened because there are competing security services that report not only on citizens, but on each other," said Klingner, a former CIA deputy division chief for Korea. "I think he's pretty firmly in control" and the military purge "shows how confident he is."

Singapore summit

Preparations are still underway for Kim and Trump's summit in Singapore, the first time a sitting US President will meet the leader of North Korea.

Trump met with former North Korean spy chief Kim Yong Chol for about 90 minutes Friday -- the highest-level North Korean official to visit the US in 18 years.

He stressed that the Singapore meeting is part of a "process" that will go on for some time: "I told them today, 'Take your time. We can go fast. We can go slowly.'"

This is something of a change from Trump's previous statements, which seemed to indicate he expected a deal to be signed in Singapore on denuclearization and other issues, and raised the possibility it may be more of a meet and greet between the two leaders.

South Korea's Blue House on Monday quashed suggestions a formal end to the Korean War could be announced at the Trump-Kim summit.

Kim is unlikely to spend much time in Singapore. Sanctions make it very difficult for senior North Korean officials to travel overseas, and Madden said Kim will also not wish to impose too much of a burden on the Singapore government, which will have to deal with onerous security arrangements caused by both leaders' presence in the city.

There has also been speculation Kim does not wish to leave North Korea for an extended period of time as this may encourage any remaining opponents to his rule to seize the opportunity to stage a coup.

In 1971, Idi Amin famously seized power in Uganda while President Milton Obote was in Singapore for a meeting of Commonwealth leaders.

Madden said any similar attempt to wrest power during the North Korean leader's absence was unlikely, pointing to Kim's previous trips to Beijing and Dalian in China, which went off without a hitch.</s>Kim Jong Un’s overhaul of his top military leadership a week before a planned summit with President Trump may be a sign that the North Korean leader is worried about opposition from the country’s powerful armed forces as he heads into the talks, some analysts said Monday.

All three of North Korea’s top military officials have been replaced, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported Sunday, citing an unnamed intelligence official.

“He’s probably got fairly broad pushback from his military,” said Bruce Bennett, an analyst at RAND Corp. “He is still facing some real threats.”

President Donald Trump meets with North Korean official Kim Yong Chol on June 1, 2018.

The level of those threats could have a direct impact on the summit scheduled for June 12 in Singapore and raise questions about how independent Kim can be in negotiating with Trump.

Opposition from the country’s powerful armed forces could limit how far Kim is willing to go in dismantling his nuclear arsenal. At a minimum Kim could cite those concerns to Trump as an excuse for moving slowly with denuclearization, Bennett said.

The generals probably disapprove of his “seeming willingness to make concessions” with the United States, said Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul.

The military is one of the most powerful institutions in North Korea and its top leaders view the country's nuclear arsenal as essential to its influence in the country.

Kim's latest overhaul may be designed to quell that opposition, though it is unclear whether Kim’s action is aimed at eliminating a threat before it emerged or whether he is reacting to growing discontent among military leaders.

In February, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service briefed Seoul lawmakers on discontent within North Korea's armed forces.

Still, some analysts see the changes as part of a broader effort to consolidate control and replace elderly leaders and may not reflect opposition to nuclear talks.

Kim has frequently made changes in the military’s top leadership, particularly in the years immediately after assuming power in 2011.

“Kim Jong Un is deeply distrustful of his generals,” Lankov said. “He knows that they can challenge his rule and he keeps them under control.”

Kim "is continuing to consolidate power by placing loyalists and younger men in key positions, said Sheila Miyoshi Jager, a professor at Oberlin College and author of Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea.

"I tend to think that the personnel changes are not necessarily directly tied to the summit and denuclearization talks," she said.

No Kwang-chol, the first vice minister of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, replaced Pak Yong-sik as defense chief, Yonhap reported. Ri Myong-su, chief of the armed force’s general staff, was replaced by his deputy, Ri Yong-gil.

Earlier, Army Gen. Kim Su-gil's replaced Kim Jong-gak as director of the General Political Bureau of the North Korean army.

But details about the changes, including when they occurred, remain sketchy, suggesting they may not represent a purge, Jager said.

Kim has proved himself ruthless in eliminating rivals. He is suspected of ordering the killing of his exiled half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, a potential rival who was poisoned with a toxic nerve agent in Malaysia last year. Kim also executed five senior government officials with anti-aircraft guns, according to South Korea.

The most recent changes were not violent and appear to be in line with ongoing efforts to prevent any one leader or group of leaders from accumulating too much power.

But the changes are being closely scrutinized because they are coming only days before the summit with Trump.

“His goal is clear: To make sure they will not be able to create a power base, to establish close connections which can be used for a coup,” Lankov said.

More: Behind Kim Jong Un's new role as peacemaker: Confidence in his nukes played a key role

More: North Korea's change of tone: Is Kim Jong Un in total control?</s>Kim Jong Un’s overhaul of his top military leadership a week before a planned summit with President Trump may be a sign that the North Korean leader is worried about opposition from the country’s powerful armed forces as he heads into the talks, some analysts said Monday.

All three of North Korea’s top military officials have been replaced, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported Sunday, citing an unnamed intelligence official.

“He’s probably got fairly broad pushback from his military,” said Bruce Bennett, an analyst at RAND Corp. “He is still facing some real threats.”

President Donald Trump meets with North Korean official Kim Yong Chol on June 1, 2018.

The level of those threats could have a direct impact on the summit scheduled for June 12 in Singapore and raise questions about how independent Kim can be in negotiating with Trump.

Opposition from the country’s powerful armed forces could limit how far Kim is willing to go in dismantling his nuclear arsenal. At a minimum Kim could cite those concerns to Trump as an excuse for moving slowly with denuclearization, Bennett said.

The generals probably disapprove of his “seeming willingness to make concessions” with the United States, said Andrei Lankov, a professor at Kookmin University in Seoul.

The military is one of the most powerful institutions in North Korea and its top leaders view the country's nuclear arsenal as essential to its influence in the country.

Kim's latest overhaul may be designed to quell that opposition, though it is unclear whether Kim’s action is aimed at eliminating a threat before it emerged or whether he is reacting to growing discontent among military leaders.

In February, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service briefed Seoul lawmakers on discontent within North Korea's armed forces.

Still, some analysts see the changes as part of a broader effort to consolidate control and replace elderly leaders and may not reflect opposition to nuclear talks.

Kim has frequently made changes in the military’s top leadership, particularly in the years immediately after assuming power in 2011.

“Kim Jong Un is deeply distrustful of his generals,” Lankov said. “He knows that they can challenge his rule and he keeps them under control.”

Kim "is continuing to consolidate power by placing loyalists and younger men in key positions, said Sheila Miyoshi Jager, a professor at Oberlin College and author of Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea.

"I tend to think that the personnel changes are not necessarily directly tied to the summit and denuclearization talks," she said.

No Kwang-chol, the first vice minister of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, replaced Pak Yong-sik as defense chief, Yonhap reported. Ri Myong-su, chief of the armed force’s general staff, was replaced by his deputy, Ri Yong-gil.

Earlier, Army Gen. Kim Su-gil's replaced Kim Jong-gak as director of the General Political Bureau of the North Korean army.

But details about the changes, including when they occurred, remain sketchy, suggesting they may not represent a purge, Jager said.

Kim has proved himself ruthless in eliminating rivals. He is suspected of ordering the killing of his exiled half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, a potential rival who was poisoned with a toxic nerve agent in Malaysia last year. Kim also executed five senior government officials with anti-aircraft guns, according to South Korea.

The most recent changes were not violent and appear to be in line with ongoing efforts to prevent any one leader or group of leaders from accumulating too much power.

But the changes are being closely scrutinized because they are coming only days before the summit with Trump.

“His goal is clear: To make sure they will not be able to create a power base, to establish close connections which can be used for a coup,” Lankov said.

More: Behind Kim Jong Un's new role as peacemaker: Confidence in his nukes played a key role

More: North Korea's change of tone: Is Kim Jong Un in total control?</s>North Korea’s top three military officials appear to have been replaced, according to reports, potentially paving the way for a denuclearization deal at the Singapore summit next week.

The three military leaders were replaced with younger and more moderate figures, according to multiple reports, including Reuters and South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

Analysts described it as a move toward opening the reclusive communist regime in preparation for the historic June 12 summit between President Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un.

The shake up included the replacement of defense chief Pak Yong-sik by Ministry of People’s Armed Forces No Kwang-chol; chief of general staff Ri Myong-su by his deputy, Ri Yong-gil, according to the reports.

Earlier, Kim Jong-gak , director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army, was replaced with Army Gen. Kim Su-gil, which was confirmed last month by North Korean state media.

The shake-up could allow Mr. Kim and the ruling party to tighten control over the Korean People’s Army (KPA) at a critical time of international engagement and domestic development.

“If Kim Jong Un is set on making peace with the U.S. and South Korea and dealing away at least part of the nuclear program, he will have to put the KPA’s influence in a box and keep it there,” Ken Gause, director of the International Affairs Group at CNA, a nonprofit research and analysis organization, told Reuters.

“This reshuffle has brought to the fore the officers who can do just that. They are loyal to Kim Jong Un and no one else,” he said.

On another front, the South Korean military said Seoul and Washington would refrain from publicizing future joint military exercises.

South Korea did not say the exercises would be cancelled or scaled down, according to a report by North Korea News, a South Korea-based news service.

U.S. Defense Secretary James N. Mattis and South Korea National Defense Minister Song Young-moo agreed to minimize publicity of upcoming exercises.

They met Saturday in Singapore as part of preparations for the Trump-Kim meeting next week.

Pyongyang has viewed the annual U.S.-South Korea military drills as a provocation or a threat.

The presence of U.S. F-22 Raptor stealth fighters in the recent Max Thunder Exercise caused a political flare up with the North.

Pyongyang last month threatened to cancel the Singapore summit because of the use of the fighter jets and called off a high-level meeting with South Korea.</s>North Korea's top three military officials have been removed from their posts, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday, as U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prepare to meet on June 12 in Singapore.

The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, was commenting on a report by South Korea's Yonhap news agency that all three of the North's top military officials were believed to have been replaced.

Trump on Friday revived the summit after canceling it a week earlier. The United States is seeking a negotiated end to North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

U.S. officials believe there was some dissension in the military about Kim's approaches to South Korea and the United States.

The U.S. official did not identify the three military officials. Yonhap identified them as defense chief Pak Yong Sik; Ri Myong Su, chief of the Korean People's Army's (KPA) general staff; and Kim Jong Gak, director of the KPA's General Political Bureau.

Trump wants North Korea to "denuclearize," meaning to get rid of its nuclear arsenal, in return for relief from economic sanctions. North Korea's leadership is believed to regard nuclear weapons as crucial to its survival.

Citing an unnamed intelligence official, Yonhap said No Kwang Chol, first vice minister of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, had replaced Pak Yong Sik as defense chief, while Ri Myong Su was replaced by his deputy, Ri Yong Gil.

The White House, State Department, CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to requests for official comment.

South Korea's unification and defense ministries declined to confirm the report, while an official at the Unification Ministry said the government was watching the leadership situation in the North very closely.

All of the newly promoted officials are younger than their predecessors, according to Yonhap, especially Ri Yong Gil, 63, who is 21 years younger than Ri Myong Su.

"This points to two things: the consolidation of Kim Jong Un's power as the sole leader of North Korea and strengthened cooperation between the North's party and military as the country works towards further economic development," said Yang Moo-jin, professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

Army General Kim Su Gil's replacement of Kim Jong Gak as director of the KPA's General Political Bureau was confirmed in a North Korean state media report last month when Kim Su Gil accompanied North Korea's Kim Jong Un on a field guidance trip to a beach tourist zone with other officials.

Lower-level U.S.-North Korean talks to prepare for the summit are continuing but have made only "halting progress," according to a second U.S. official briefed on the discussions.

That official said U.S. negotiators' efforts to press for definitions of immediate, comprehensive, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization by North Korea had run into opposition from the White House.

In a remarkable shift in tone eight days after canceling the summit, citing Pyongyang's "open hostility," Trump welcomed North Korea's former intelligence chief, Kim Yong Chol, to the White House on Friday, afterward exchanging smiles and handshakes.</s>SEOUL: North Korea's new top three military officers are known for their unquestioning support of leader Kim Jong Un and are flexible enough to accept the massive changes that may come from any deal with US President Donald Trump, people who follow the secretive country say.

They replaced older, more conservative officers who have been recently sacked, according to a senior US official and North Korea leadership analysts in Seoul.

As Washington pursues a negotiated end to Pyongyang's nuclear programme, US officials believe there was some dissent in the military about Kim's negotiations with South Korea and the United States, a complete reversal of the North's pursuit of nuclear weapons and historic hostility. It was not clear if the sacked officers were responsible.

Citing an unidentified intelligence official, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said No Kwang Chol, first vice minister in the defence ministry, had replaced Pak Yong Sik as the defence chief, while Ri Yong Gil had returned as the army's chief of general staff in place of Ri Myong Su.

The appointments could not be immediately confirmed.

North Korean media had earlier reported that Army General Kim Su Gil had succeeded Kim Jong Gak as director of the army's powerful General Political Bureau, one of the most senior positions in the country.

The changes are a shock because they take place so close to each other and come just ahead of the scheduled Jun 12 summit between Trump and Kim in Singapore.

Some analysts said Kim was replacing older officers who were wedded to the country's nuclear doctrine with loyalists who would follow any changes he may make following the summit.

"There would be a denuclearisation roadmap coming out of the summit with Trump, and it would be burdensome for Kim to have hawks who could be agitated by any desertion of the nuclear programme," said Cheong Seong-Chang, a senior fellow at South Korea's Sejong Institute.



Trump wants North Korea to "denuclearise" in return for relief from economic sanctions. Pyongyang sees its nuclear weapons as vital to its survival but Kim has said he plans to focus on economic development.

The moves are also in line with Kim's years-long efforts to consolidate power by purging senior officers and promoting trusted younger advisers to the politburo and other core positions.

The new officers could also provide some insurance against any attempt to seize power while Kim is away at the summit, experts say.

"All these guys are Kim Jong Un people," said Michael Madden, a North Korea leadership expert at Johns Hopkins University's 38 North website. "Kim Jong Un is going to put people in place he can trust, who are loyal to him."

In addition to being hardcore loyalists, Madden said the three officers were experienced in dealing with foreigners, which was seen as a plus point. But it was not immediately clear whether any of them would accompany Kim to Singapore.

Kim Su Gil, 68, is a four-star Army general who is one of Kim Jong Un's most trusted aides, accompanying him on various military inspections and public events.

He was among those involved in the purge and execution of Kim Jong Un's powerful uncle, Jang Song Thaek, in December 2013. Then he was tapped to lead the party's Pyongyang chamber in early 2014, a job which Madden said was meant for "housecleaning" the administration of Jang's confidants.

Kim's appointment to the General Political Bureau is part of Kim Jong Un's drive to expand the party's control over the military, said Ken Gause, director of the International Affairs Group at CNA, a non-profit research and analysis organisation based in Arlington, Virginia.

All of the newly promoted officials are younger than their predecessors, even though they are all in their 60s.

The three were also named in May 2016 as alternate members of the ruling Workers' Party politburo - the opaque, all-powerful governing body where top state affairs are decided.

Ri Yong Gil served as chief of staff from 2013 to 2016 until he reportedly fell from grace for a brief period, the analysts said.

In the early 2000s, Ri was commander of an Army unit that defends the perimeter around Pyongyang, a sensitive position that Gause said is traditionally "personally selected" by the leader of the country.

In March 2013, he was seen attending a late night meeting convened by Kim to order missile units on "standby" to strike US and South Korean military installations after a US strategic bomber flew over South Korea.

In February 2016, he was briefly demoted to deputy chief and three stars from four for an unspecified reason. South Korean intelligence officials said he had been executed for corruption and abuse of power, only to see him appear at a major party assembly as a politburo candidate three months later.

No Kwang Chol, the 62-year-old relatively less known new defence chief, previously headed the Second Economic Committee, which oversees defence production including the nuclear and missile programmes.

"This is where you would send someone you could trust," said Hong Min, head of North Korea research at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul.

"No is a person who has come to the fore in the Kim Jong Un era, as an up-and-coming and trusted aide. It is not strange at all if he becomes defence minister."
According to multiple sources, North Korea has fired its top three military officials and replaced them with younger loyalists. One of the three new appointees, general Ri Yong-gil, was inaccurately "reported" in 2016 as having been executed.