 Ri Yong-gil (Yonhap) 
 
 A top North Korean military officer was executed earlier this month on charges of pursuing personal interests and engaging in corruption, a source said Wednesday.The source said that the execution of Ri Yong-gil, the chief of the General Staff of the North’s Korean People’s Army, occurred around the time a senior-level meeting involving officials from the military and the ruling Workers’ Party was convened from Feb. 2-3.The execution came as a surprise, as Ri had been regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the Kim coterie. Ri, who was appointed to the post in 2013, had won Kim's favor and accompanied him on various inspection trips to military exercises and the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces, the equivalent of the South's Defense Ministry, until last month. Under the rule of his late father Kim Jong-il, the party’s role to support the leader was rather loose, as he wielded enormous charismatic authority.Speculation about Ri’s oust had already been circulating as he had not appeared at recent high-profile military events including a Pyongyang ceremony marking what the reclusive regime claims to be a successful launch of the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite.Reporting on the ceremony for the satellite launch, the Rodong Sinmun, the daily of the ruling party, enumerated participants in the order of their military and party rankings. Ri Myong-su, an general of the North’s Korean People’s Army, took the place of the executed Ri, sparking speculation that he might have been newly appointed for the general staff chief post.By Song Sang-ho ( sshluck@heraldcorp.com
– Kim Jong Un has executed another top military official, sources say. Army Gen. Ri Yong Gil, chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, was reportedly executed last week after being found guilty of pursuing personal gains and corruption. Appointed military chief in 2013, Ri was spotted in public alongside Kim at inspections of military exercises until last month, sources tell South Korea's Yonhap News. However, he wasn't present at a joint meeting of the Workers' Party and the military from Feb. 2-3, nor has he been seen at celebrations in honor of Sunday's rocket launch. A source speculates that Ri may have disapproved of recent military appointments, per the Korea Herald. Gen. Ri Myong Su, a former minister of people's security, may have taken over his post. "This shows that Kim Jong Un is very nervous about the armed forces," the source says. But an expert tells Bloomberg there are two ways to view the purge: "One argument is that even after nearly five years in power, Kim is still weak, and is wiping out his lieutenants to try and keep a grip. The other argument is that he's strong and is in full control of the army. He can do exactly what he wants with the army and this is a typical move to wipe out the old guard."