Ri formerly held the four-star position before he was briefly demoted deputy chief and three stars for an unspecified reason in 2016.

His return adds the recent appointments of No Kwang Chol, first vice defence minister, as the defence chief, and Army General Kim Su Gil as director of the military's powerful General Political Bureau.

All of the newly promoted officials are younger than their predecessors, even though they are all in their 60s. Ri is 63 years old, 21 years younger than his predecessor, Ri Myong Su.

With Pyongyang and Washington in nuclear talks, U.S. officials believe there was some dissent in the North Korean military about the negotiations, a complete reversal of Kim's years-long pursuit of nuclear weapons and warlike rhetoric. It was not clear if the sacked officers were responsible.

(Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Michael Perry)

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