North Korea: A Risky Power Shift in Progress

South Korea's Chosun Ilbo, citing unnamed sources, reported that former Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Ri Yong Ho and his bodyguards engaged in a firefight with soldiers accompanying Korean People's Army General Politburo Director Choe Ryong Hae when Choe went to dismiss Ri.

Ri was a career military officer and was promoted to his former position on the Central Military Commission in 2010 with Kim Jong Un. Kim Jong Il and his brother-in-law Jang Song Thaek enlisted Ri to maintain military support for Kim Jong Un during the leadership transition. Although Choe was not a professional soldier, he climbed quickly in the North Korean military ranks in recent years. He reportedly was a close confidant of Kim Jong Il and is an important element of the Kim Jong Un/Jang Song Thaek center of power.

No other source has confirmed the report of a shootout, but it is not out of the question. Ri's removal is part of a shift in economic control from the military to the Workers Party of Korea. And when the balance of power shifts away from one group in North Korea, resistance against the loss of political influence and control over the black market economy is almost inevitable. Although there is a general agreement among the elite on the need for a unified, strong North Korea to maintain their self-interests, opinions vary on how to best achieve that, particularly during a leadership transition.