FILE PHOTO: This picture taken on January 10, 2026 and released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via KNS on January 11, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a visit to the fourth-stage construction project of 10,000 housing units in Hwasong area, which is nearing completion, in Pyongyang. - AFP/KCNA VIA KNS
SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has replaced three top officials in charge of his personal security, Seoul said Tuesday (Jan 13), a sign the despot may increasingly fear assassination plots.
Seoul's Unification Ministry -- responsible for managing relations with Pyongyang -- said three state agencies handling Kim's security had new bosses.
The reshuffle was spotted during a military parade in October, the ministry said.
The changes at the Bodyguard Command in particular, which handles security measures against drone or electronic attacks, could be linked to Kim's decision to send troops to aid Russia's war in Ukraine, an expert said.
"Change in the pattern of Kim's security detail was detected from October 2024, when he deployed North Korean troops to Russia," Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP.
"He could have judged there could be an assassination attempt against him involving Ukrainians amid heightened international spotlight due to the deployment," he added.
Seoul's spy agency previously said Kim had upgraded the level of security around him due to the risk of attempts on his life.
Kim's office sought to obtain equipment capable of jamming communications and drone detection gear in response, the agency said.
In the past year, Kim has often been seen accompanied by his daughter Ju Ae on official duties including the inspection of a nuclear-powered submarine.
Analysts say she is likely next in line to run the nuclear-armed dictatorship.
This month's capture by the United States of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has also likely heightened security fears in Pyongyang, analysts say.
The operation represents a nightmare scenario for North Korea's leadership, which has long feared a so-called "decapitation strike" of that kind and accused Washington of seeking to remove it from power. - AFP
