North Korean Defense Minister Ri Yong-gil, who was elected as a member of the State Affairs Commission, the country's highest decision-making body, during the second day of a session of the Supreme People's Assembly, the North's top legislature, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang, is seen in this photo, released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Sept. 30. Yonhap

North Korea's Defense Minister Ri Yong-gil has been promoted to the country's third-highest military rank of vice marshal in a major reshuffle, the country's state media said Friday.

The latest shakeup appears intended to boost morale and unity among top-echelon officers as the North marks the 110th anniversary of the birth of its national founder Kim Il-sung.

"A relevant decision was issued by the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea on April 14," the official Korean Central News Agency said, referring to the ruling party's top military decision-making body.

Ri, who previously served as minister of social security, was confirmed by state media to have been appointed defense minister in July last year.

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He was promoted to three-star colonel general in December 2012. Eight months later, he was elevated to a four-star general to head the general staff of the North's Korean People's Army equivalent to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Ri was abruptly removed from the general staff post in 2016, sparking speculation that he might have been executed for corruption. He returned to the top military post in 2018 but was dismissed again the following year.

Earlier this week, the North also promoted six military officials, including former Defense Minister Kim Jong-gwan, to four-star generals. (Yonhap)