Kim Jong-un has sacked his head of security and the head of North Korea's military intelligence agency, according to reports.
The despot leader, who disappeared from the public view for more than three weeks from the middle of March, has reportedly launched the shake-up at the heart of his government.
He ousted hardliner Jang Kil Song as head of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), which is the country's military intelligence agency.
Also removed from his duties was Yun Jong Rin, the commander of the Supreme Guard - who has been responsible for Kim's personal safety since 2010.
The Korea Herald reports that the reasons for the changes are unknown.
An insider said it is a sign that Kim is tightening his grip on power.
The source said: “Last year, 80 percent of the politburo members were replaced and nine of 11 members, or 82 percent, of the State Affairs Commission were changed“This indicates the generation shifts and (Kim’s) focus on performance-based personnel reshuffle.
"It can be seen that Kim has consolidated power in the country as well.”
It is understood that Lt. General Rim Kwang-il has become Kim's new spy chief, while Kwak Chang-sik has become the new Supreme Guard commander.
Yonhap News agency said the appointments were confirmed by "key figures" within the regime.
Earlier this week Mirror Online reported that Kim had unleashed a global wave of cybercrime in a bid to avert a coronavirus financial meltdown in North Korea.
It is claimed he has instructed North Korean hacker group, Lazarus, to use phishing scams to steal cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
The secretive syndicate rose to notoriety in 2014 after hacking Sony Pictures in revenge for the planned-release of The Interview - a comedy about assassinating Kim Jong-un.
Along with two other hacking groups, it stole $571m (£463m) of cryptocurrency from five Asian exchanges between January 2017 and September 2018, a US government report revealed.
