Sacked N. Korean military official returns to No. 2 post of military

North Korean Marshal Pak Jong-chon (Korean Central News Agency)

North Korean Marshal Pak Jong-chon, who was sacked earlier this year, has returned to the second most powerful position of the country's military after the country's leader Kim Jong-un as part of a year-end ruling party reshuffle, according to state media Sunday.

Pak was named the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea in the reshuffle from the five-day plenary meeting of the party's Central Committee that ended Saturday, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

Pak had been removed from the position on Jan. 1 this year, but returned to public view in August as he visited a munitions factory with leader Kim, who chairs the Central Military Commission.

At the time, Pak headed the party's military political leadership.

As part of the party reshuffle, Pak was also named as a member of the politburo and a secretary of the Central Committee.

Pak, a former artillery commander, became the Chief of the General Staff in September 2019. He was promoted to vice marshal in May 2020 and to his current rank in October that year.

Jo Chun-ryong, director of the party's Munitions Industry Department, was also appointed as a member of the politburo and a secretary of the Central Committee in the reshuffle.

Jo, who in charge of production of conventional artillery shells, has been spotted multiple times with Kim during inspections of munitions factories this year.

His appointment comes as Seoul and Washington have accused Pyongyang of delivering arms to Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

The South Korean and US governments have sanctioned Jo, while a UN Security Council Resolution named him in a travel ban list in 2016.