Pak Yong Sik, who stands to Kim Jong Un's right, was recently promoted to four-star general after the purge of defense chief Hyon Yong Chol. File Photo by Rodong Sinmun/Yonhap

SEOUL, June 5 (UPI) -- North Korea has deleted purged defense chief Hyon Yong Chol from state television, as analysts said it's likely he has been replaced by a four-star general shown in footage aired Thursday.

North Korea's state-controlled outlet KCNA broadcasted on Thursday a video of Pak Yong Sik, a recently promoted general saluting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a May 29 visit to a tree nursery under construction, Yonhap reported.


Meanwhile, reruns of older documentaries that prominently featured purged Defense Minister Hyon Yong Chol were either removed entirely from KCNA reels, or scenes that included Hyon were snipped out.

The persistent appearance of Hyon in older footage in May initially drew skepticism to South Korea claims the former defense minister was purged, or perhaps even executed. Sources inside North Korea, however, said videos stayed unedited in order to mitigate negative responses from the international community.

South Korea-based news outlet Daily NK reported one film taken during a North Korean military rally April 24-25 was completely edited of Hyon Yong Chol.

Yonhap reported shortly after Hyon was purged on April 30, Pak Yong Sik was promoted from a three-star to a four-star general. In May, Pak was continuously shown at Kim's side as he made his routine inspections of the Korean People's Army.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said Pak is not likely to be the senior vice minister of defense since he has been promoted to a four-star general.

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Cheong Seong-chang, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, said, "There is a chance that Pak might have been promoted to the North's minister of armed forces."

The shocking purge of a top-level official has created an atmosphere of fear inside North Korea.

The North Korea military ordered its forces not to discuss Hyon's possible execution for fear of "inciting chaos," The Guardian reported.

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Kim's ruthless elimination of suspected rivals has increased criticism of his rule inside North Korea, where the notion Kim is "even worse than his father" has become a common complaint.