North Korea has dismissed its defence minister and reshuffled senior military leadership, state media reported on Sunday, as leader Kim Jong Un accelerates a military modernisation drive and tightens discipline within the armed forces. The changes were decided at a meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Military Commission on Saturday, guided by Kim himself, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

No Kwang Chol, who had served as defence minister and was seen meeting Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov in 2024, was removed from his post and demoted within the ruling party to the role of first vice-director of the Munitions Industry Department. His replacement is Kim Song Gi, previously director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army — a body responsible for political oversight within the military. In a further reshuffle, veteran military figure Pak Jong Chon was appointed vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, which Kim chairs, and was named to the party's Politburo. Pak's return is notable: he had stepped down from several senior posts in February, prompting speculation at the time that he was withdrawing from frontline duties due to his age. Several other promotions were also announced.

Separately, KCNA reported that Kim personally awarded state honours to scientists, researchers and defence officials for their contributions to developing new combat weapon systems, calling them