---
title: "North Korea dismisses defense minister No Kwang Chol"
publication: "MediaBias News"
url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/north-korea-dismisses-defense-minister-no-kwang-chol"
api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/north-korea-dismisses-defense-minister-no-kwang-chol"
markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/north-korea-dismisses-defense-minister-no-kwang-chol.md"
audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/north-korea-dismisses-defense-minister-no-kwang-chol"
category: "Politics"
published: "2026-08-30T00:45:56.961Z"
source_reported: "2026-08-30T00:31:52.082Z"
updated: "2026-08-30T00:45:56.961Z"
trust_score: 42
critic_score: 57
hype_score: 20
assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis"
fact_check_status: "not-performed"
coverage_measured: "2026-08-30T01:52:30.796Z"
---

# North Korea dismisses defense minister No Kwang Chol

*Kim Song Gi appointed to replace No Kwang Chol in military leadership reshuffle*

**Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): 

- Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to KCNA, with two independent outlets and named officials.
- Craft 57 of 100, higher is better. Reporting is clear, but lacks context on why the reshuffle occurred or quotes from affected parties.
- Hype 20 of 100, lower is better. The language used is neutral and factual, with no sensationalism or exaggeration.

Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology.

**The short version**

- North Korea's defense minister, No Kwang Chol, has been dismissed and demoted.
- Kim Song Gi has been appointed as the new defense minister.
- The reshuffle was decided during a meeting led by Kim Jong Un.
- Pak Jong Chon was appointed vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission.

North Korea has dismissed its defense minister, No Kwang Chol, and appointed Kim Song Gi in his place. The changes were decided during a meeting led by Kim Jong Un, according to state media reports. No Kwang Chol was demoted to first vice-director of the Munitions Industry Department. Pak Jong Chon was appointed vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission.

## Coverage disagreements

Channel News Asia and The Korea Times report that No Kwang Chol was demoted to "first vice-director of the Munitions Industry Department" and "first vice-director of the Munitions Industry Department of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee" respectively. El Mundo states that the dismissed minister, No Kwang Chol, is 68 years old. EADaily and The Straits Times state that No Kwang Chol was demoted in the ruling party leadership. The Straits Times also reports that No Kwang Chol was demoted in the ruling party leadership.

## What the coverage left out

None of the left-rated digests mention Kim Jong Un lauding scientists and researchers for advances in defence technology, a detail present in the Channel News Asia and The Korea Times full reports.

## Who covered it

Shares of the 28 covering outlets with a published leaning rating:

- Left: 14% (4)
- Centre: 32% (9)
- Right: 54% (15)

19 of 47 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-30T01:52:30.796Z.

**Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 5 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-30T02:00:15.493Z.

## How the sides framed it

### Left

- The left-rated reports focused on the dismissal and demotion of No Kwang Chol. The Korea Times and rthk.hk both reported that No Kwang Chol was dismissed and demoted. The Korea Times specified his demotion to "first vice-director of the Munitions Industry Department of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee". Helsingin Sanomat reported that No Kwang-chol was dismissed on Saturday, according to the country's state media.

### Centre

- Centre-rated reports highlighted the dismissal and appointment of a new defense minister as part of a broader military leadership reshuffle. Channel News Asia and South China Morning Post reported that No Kwang Chol was dismissed as defence minister and demoted in the ruling party leadership. NK News stated that Kim Song Gi, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army, was appointed the new defense minister. The Japan Times noted the dismissal was part of a "structural reorganization".

### Right

- Right-rated reports focused on the dismissal and replacement of the defense minister, often noting the demotion of the former minister. EADaily reported that Kim Jong Eun fired the head of the DOD. Mehr News Agency stated that North Korean state media announced the dismissal of the defense minister and his appointment to another defense post. Free Malaysia Today News mentioned the dismissal came amid a military leadership reshuffle and Kim Jong Un awarding honours for defence technology advances. El Mundo identified the dismissed minister as No. Kwang Chol, aged 68, and suggested he was formerly head of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

**Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding.

## Factuality profile of the covering outlets

These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true.

- veryLow: 2
- low: 1
- mixed: 9
- high: 13
- unknown: 19
- veryHigh: 3

## Verification scope

This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true.

## Original reporting this was written from

- [Latestly](https://latestly.com/world/why-was-north-koreas-defence-minister-no-kwang-chol-dismissed-7581868.html) — Why Was North Korea’s Defence Minister No Kwang Chol Dismissed? | 🌎 LatestLY
- [newscentraltv.com](https://newscentraltv.com/north-korea-reshuffles-military-leadership) — North Korea Reshuffles Military Leadership
- [Hindustan Times](https://hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/north-korea-defence-minister-dismissed-state-media-101788052406692.html) — North Korea defence minister dismissed: state media
- [Spiegel](https://spiegel.de/ausland/nordkorea-kim-jong-un-setzt-verteidigungsminister-ab-und-baut-militaerspitze-um-a-c96cb351-bdcc-4f89-bc69-d2ec2527e430) — North Korea: Kim Jong UN Dismisses Defense Minister and Rebuilds Military Leadership
- [news-pravda.com](https://news-pravda.com/world/2026/08/30/2551328.html) — North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang-chol was removed from his post and appointed first deputy head of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee’s Munitions Industry Department at the second meeting of the n..
- [조선일보](https://chosun.com/politics/north_korea/2026/08/30/O4YBBK7TEZGKHH5WE77PVNOOV4) — North Korea Takes Personnel Changes in Military Leadership… Pak Jong-Chon Returns, Defense Minister Dismissed
- [EADaily](https://eadaily.com/ru/news/2026/08/30/kim-chen-yn-uvolil-glavu-minoborony-kndr) — Kim Jong Eun Fired the Head of the DOD.
- [Mehr News Agency](https://mehrnews.com/news/6931817/%D8%AA%D8%BA%DB%8C%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AA-%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B9-%DA%A9%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%B4%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%DB%8C) — Changes in North Korea's Defense Ministry
- [Nieuws.nl](https://nieuws.nl/buitenland/noord-koreaanse-defensieminister-ontslagen-en-gedegradeerd) — North Korean Defense Minister Fired and Demoted
- [welingelichtekringen.nl](https://welingelichtekringen.nl/samenleving/noord-koreaanse-defensieminister-ontslagen-en-gedegradeerd) — North Korean Defense Minister Fired and Demoted
- [dagelijksestandaard.nl](https://dagelijksestandaard.nl/nieuws/noord-koreaanse-defensieminister-ontslagen-en-gedegradeerd) — North Korean Defense Minister Fired and Demoted
- [vietnamplus.vn](https://vietnamplus.vn/trieu-tien-cai-to-ban-lanh-dao-quan-doi-cach-chuc-bo-truong-quoc-phong-post1133368.vnp) — North Korea Reshuffles Military Leadership, Dismisses Defense Minister.
- [South China Morning Post](https://scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3365724/north-koreas-defence-minister-dismissed-reshuffle-military-leadership) — North Korea’s defence minister dismissed in reshuffle of military leadership
- [destentor.nl](https://destentor.nl/buitenland/noord-koreaanse-leider-kim-jong-un-ontslaat-en-degradeert-defensieminister~a4e073b9) — North Korean Leader Kim Jong-UN Dismisses and Demotes Defense Minister
- [Kristeligt Dagblad](https://kristeligt-dagblad.dk/udland/statsmedie-nordkoreas-forsvarsminister-er-blevet-fyret) — State Media: North Korea's Defense Minister Has Been Fired
- [berlingske.dk](https://berlingske.dk/internationalt/statsmedie-nordkoreas-forsvarsminister-er-blevet-fyret) — State Media: North Korea's Defense Minister Has Been Fired
- [BT](https://bt.dk/udland/statsmedie-nordkoreas-forsvarsminister-er-blevet-fyret) — State Media: North Korea's Defense Minister Has Been Fired
- [avisendanmark.dk](https://avisendanmark.dk/udland/statsmedie-nordkoreas-forsvarsminister-er-blevet-fyret) — State Media: North Korea's Defense Minister Has Been Fired
- [Channel News Asia](https://channelnewsasia.com/asia/north-korea-defence-minister-dismissed-state-media-6349961) — North Korea defence minister dismissed: State media
- [SINDOnews.com](https://international.sindonews.com/read/1744409/40/kim-jong-un-tiba-tiba-pecat-menhan-korut-penyebabnya-masih-misterius-1788044906) — Kim Jong-UN Suddenly Fires North Korea's Defense Minister, Reason Remains a Mystery
- [PressNewsAgency](https://pressnewsagency.org/north-korea-defence-minister-dismissed-state-media) — North Korea defence minister dismissed: State media
- [NK News](https://nknews.org/?p=979041) — North Korea reshuffles top military leadership, replaces defense minister
- [pmo.ee](https://pmo.ee/8536449) — North Korea's Defense Minister Dismissed
- [Tiroler Tageszeitung Online](https://tt.com/artikel/30941159/verteidigungsminister-in-nordkorea-entlassen) — Defence Minister Dismissed in North Korea
- [vienna.at](https://vienna.at/verteidigungsminister-in-nordkorea-entlassen/10425674) — North Korea: Defence Minister No Kwang-Chol Dismissed
- [rthk.hk](https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1868109-20260830.htm) — DPRK dismisses defence minister, says KCNA
- [The Japan Times](https://japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/08/30/asia-pacific/politics/north-korea-dismisses-defense-minister-in) — North Korea replaces defense minister in ‘structural reorganization’
- [Life.ru](https://life.ru/p/1918123) — Minister of Defence of the Democratic People ' S Republic of Korea No Gwang Chul Was Removed From His Post
- [Kyodo News+](https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/83414) — BREAKING NEWS: N. Korea replaces defense minister in military reshuffle: official media
- [Free Malaysia Today News](https://freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/08/30/north-korea-s-defence-minister-dismissed) — North Korea’s defence minister dismissed
- [The Straits Times](https://straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/north-korea-defence-minister-dismissed-state-media) — North Korea defence minister dismissed: State media
- [KahawaTungu](https://kahawatungu.com/north-koreas-defense-minister-has-been-dismissed-from-his-position) — North Korea's defense minister has been dismissed from his position
- [The Korea Times](https://koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20260830/n-korea-replaces-defense-minister-with-kim-song-gi-in-military-reshuffle-kcna) — N. Korea replaces defense minister with Kim Song-gi in military reshuffle: KCNA
- [Svenska Dagbladet](https://svd.se/a/j0b4eL/nordkoreas-forsvarsminister-byts-ut) — North Korea's Defense Minister Replaced
- [El Mundo](https://elmundo.es/internacional/2026/08/30/6a935a83e85ece20498b4577.html) — Kim Jong-UN Dismisses North Korean Defense Minister, Former Head of Pyongyang Nuclear and Missile Programs
- [Ilta-Sanomat](https://is.fi/ulkomaat/art-2000012240147.html) — North Korea's Defense Minister Dismissed
- [vz.ru](https://vz.ru/news/2026/8/30/1447184.html) — The Democratic People ' S Republic of Korea Was Replaced by the Minister of Defence
- [Helsingin Sanomat](https://hs.fi/maailma/art-2000012240146.html) — North Korea | North Korean Defense Minister Dismissed
- [Unknown](https://alquds.co.uk/%D8%A5%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%83%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9) — Dismissal of the North Korean Minister of Defence
- [Unknown](https://arabic.pressbee.net/show10952059.html?title=%D8%A5%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%83%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9) — Dismissal of the North Korean Minister of Defence
- [연합뉴스-Yonhap News Agency](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20260830000351315) — (LEAD) N. Korea Replaces Defense Minister with Kim Song-Gi in Military Reshuffle: KCNA
- [anews.com.tr](https://anews.com.tr/world/2026/08/29/north-korea-defence-minister-dismissed-state-media) — North Korea defence minister dismissed: state media
- [BizToc](https://biztoc.com/x/cd2ffe415617af72) — North Korea ousts defense minister
- [yle](https://yle.fi/a/74-20243612) — North Korea's Defense Minister Dismissed
- [cedarnews.net](https://cedarnews.net/newstasks/954188/north-korea-dismisses-defense-minister-major-leadership) — North Korea Dismisses Defense Minister in Major Leadership Shake-Up
- [korean-vibe.com](https://korean-vibe.com/news/newsview.php?ncode=179530690649564) — N. Korea replaces defense minister with Kim Song-gi in military reshuffle: state media
- [www.diariolibre.com](https://diariolibre.com/mundo/asia/2026/08/29/corea-del-norte-destituye-a-no-kwang-chol/3643324) — North Korea Defense Minister Dismissed

## Questions

**Who has been appointed as North Korea's new defense minister?**

Kim Song Gi has been appointed as North Korea's new defense minister. He was previously the director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army.

**What happened to the former defense minister, No Kwang Chol?**

No Kwang Chol has been dismissed as North Korea's defense minister and demoted within the ruling party leadership to first vice-director of the Munitions Industry Department.

**Who decided on the military leadership reshuffle?**

The reshuffle of North Korea's military leadership was decided during a meeting led by Kim Jong Un.

---

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