North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has replaced three of his personal security guards, Seoul revealed today, a sign that he may fear for his life. South Korea's Ministry of Unification, which handles relations with Pyongyang, reported that the directors of three government agencies responsible for Kim's security have been changed. The new officials were selected during a military parade last October, according to the same source. This restructuring, which specifically affected the leadership of the security unit tasked with protecting the North Korean leader, especially from drone strikes, may be linked to the assistance Pyongyang provided to Moscow to support the war effort in Ukraine, according to an expert consulted by AFP. Analyst Hong Min from the Korean Institute for National Unity stated: "Changes in Kim's security mechanism were detected starting in October 2024, at the time when North Korean forces were being sent to Russia." He suggested that this step could have been based on "the risk of an assassination attempt by Ukrainians, given the increasing international spotlight on him due to the deployment of troops." South Korean intelligence had previously reported that Kim Jong-un had enhanced his security out of fear of assassination and that his office had sought to acquire equipment for jamming communications and detecting drones. These changes come amid growing uncertainty over a potential successor to the North Korean leader, who brought his daughter with him on several official occasions in 2025, the most recent being a tour of a workshop building nuclear-powered submarines. Analysts speculate that Kim's daughter, Ju Ae, could be his heir. For decades, North Korea has accused Washington of attempting to overthrow its government through similar operations and insists that its military and nuclear programs are for defensive purposes.
