`P`yang`s removal of Ri was part of radical economic reform`

`P`yang`s removal of Ri was part of radical economic reform`. July. 23, 2012 08:49. mungchii@donga.com.

North Korea’s surprise dismissal of veteran military leader Ri Yong Ho is part of Pyongyang`s attempt to lay the foundation for reform, a leading Hong Kong daily said Sunday.

The South China Morning Post said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his uncle and No. 2 man, Jang Sung Taek, purged Ri, who was vice marshal, for opposing the Cabinet’s bid to deprive the military of economic authority.

The newspaper cited an informed source close to Pyongyang and Beijing, adding the source had previously predicted several developments in North Korea accurately, including its first nuclear test in 2006.

The source said North Korea seeks to control authority over economic issues by forming an organization under the Cabinet, saying, “Previously, the Cabinet had no say on the economy, and now things are changing.”

“An economic reform team has been established at the North Korean Workers’ Party, and is examining agricultural and economic reform.”

The daily said the purge of Ri and his followers could be a signal for the North`s most extensive reform in decades.

“Kim Jong Un and Jang Sung Taek took control of the military,” the source said, denying external speculation on the reason for Ri`s purge, including a power struggle.