North Korea appears to have named Pak Yong-sik its new defense minister, replacing Hyon Yong-chol who is believed to have been purged at the end of April.
 
Reporting Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un viewed an art performance by military troops, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency mentioned Pak after Hwang Pyong-so, the director of the Korean People's Army (KPA) General Political Bureau.
 
Experts suggest Pak has likely been appointed to the number two position in the military as he was mentioned before Ri Yong-gil, chief of the General Staff of the KPA.
 
The North's Korean Central Television aired a documentary earlier this month showing Pak saluting Kim Jong-un when the leader visited a tree nursery operated by the military in May, raising speculation about Pak's new position.