Ri Yong Ho (L) was the chief of the general staff prior to his dismissal in 2012. File Photo screen shot of KCTV

SEOUL, June 7 (UPI) -- A North Korean military leader who was possibly purged in 2012 could have been dismissed for mobilizing troops without Kim Jong Un's permission.

That revelation about former army chief Ri Yong Ho was included in a confidential 12,000-page document obtained by Japanese television network NHK.


The report was from a North Korea trading company executive affiliated with the Korean People's Army, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

The document includes strong language that condemned Ri – who bears the same name as the newly appointed foreign minister of Pyongyang.

"Some military personnel were under pressure from the counterrevolutionary bastard Ri Yong Ho, even though they knew he defied the ideology of supreme commander [Kim Jong Un]," an excerpt from the document read.

Army personnel acted "hesitantly" under Ri, and ultimately caused "great harm to the People's Army," the North Korean report stated.

The document appears to partly confirm 2012 South Korean intelligence findings.

After Pyongyang publicly announced the resignation of Ri due to illness, the National Intelligence Service had reported Ri had been "uncooperative" with Kim who sought to strengthen his grip on the military after fully assuming power.

Neither reports, however, offered details of Ri's insubordination.

Kim's policy demanded absolute transparency regarding all military activities such that "even a pin dropping should be heard," or reported directly to the leadership, according to NHK.

Under Kim, the military was directed to be self-sufficient in food. The North Korean leader ordered the army to grow beans and raise goats, according to the report.

Hyon Yong Chol replaced Ri as chief of the general staff, but Hyon himself was purged and allegedly executed in 2015.