North Korea Reshuffles Kim Jong-un’s Security Leadership Amid Wider Elite Changes

Seoul, Jan 2026 : North Korea has replaced several top officials responsible for the personal security of leader Kim Jong-un in recent years, indicating a notable reshuffle within the country’s most sensitive power structures, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on Tuesday.

According to the ministry’s analysis of major personnel changes in North Korea during 2025, Pyongyang has changed the heads of three key units tasked with safeguarding the supreme leader. These include the Guard Office of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), the Guard Department under the State Affairs Commission, and the Guard Command, all of which play a central role in ensuring Kim Jong-un’s personal protection and internal security.

While the ministry did not specify the exact timing or reasons behind the replacements, it said the leadership changes were identified during a military parade held in October 2025 to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea. The altered lineup of senior security officials was observed through public appearances and official imagery from the event, according to South Korea’s assessment.

“It is noteworthy that North Korea has replaced officials in charge of guarding the ‘supreme leader’ within a relatively short period,” a ministry official said, suggesting heightened sensitivity or internal recalibration within Kim Jong-un’s security apparatus.

Alongside changes in the leader’s security teams, the ministry also pointed to possible shifts within North Korea’s top military leadership. Ri Pyong-chol, a senior military figure, is believed to have been removed from his position as vice chairman of the WPK’s powerful Military Central Commission. Although no official announcement has been made by Pyongyang, the ministry said Ri’s presumed demotion was reflected in the restructuring of the party’s top decision-making bodies.

As a result of Ri’s apparent removal, the number of members in the praesidium of the political bureau — the party’s most elite inner circle — has reportedly dropped from five to four. The current praesidium is now understood to include Kim Jong-un himself, Premier Pak Thae-song, Choe Ryong-hae (chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly Standing Committee), and Jo Yong-won, a senior party secretary. With Ri sidelined, Pak Jong-chon has reportedly become the sole vice chairman of the Military Central Commission.

These internal developments come amid heightened visibility of Kim Jong-un’s leadership activities and symbolism. Last week, North Korean state media reported that Kim visited the construction site of a memorial museum dedicated to North Korean soldiers killed while deployed overseas in support of Russia’s war against Ukraine. During the visit, Kim described the fallen soldiers’ sacrifice as an “eternal cornerstone” of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim personally took part in a ceremonial tree-planting at the site, digging the first shovelful of earth. Images released by state media showed Kim accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-ju, and their daughter, Ju-ae, underscoring the symbolic importance of the event.

The memorial project follows Kim’s announcement last year, while awarding commendations to troops dispatched to Russia, that Pyongyang would construct a special street and museum to honour soldiers killed in overseas operations. Construction of the memorial museum reportedly began in October.

This marks the first time North Korea is building a museum specifically commemorating soldiers who died in combat abroad. According to international assessments, Pyongyang has sent more than 10,000 troops along with conventional weapons to support Russia’s war effort, with thousands believed to have been killed in action.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)