UPDATE (July 10, 2024 at 11:12 a.m.): State media reporting on events to mark the 30th anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s death on July 8 made clear that Ri Pyong Chol is still a member of the Politburo Presidium, despite signs at the recent plenum that he had been expelled.

The reports on the death anniversary did not mention Ri’s other positions as Central Committee secretary and vice-chair of the Central Military Commission, however, leaving open the possibility that he was demoted from one of the roles in December.

What looked like a demotion and removal