Choe Ryong-hae, the 76-year-old chairman of the North Korean parliament who once served as the top military leader, has been excluded from members of the country's ruling party central committee, along with other senior officials, signaling a major generational shift in leadership. Choe, party secretary Pak Jong-chon, party adviser for defense Ri Pyong-chol and other senior officials were not included in a new list of members of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). On the fourth day of the ninth party congress on Sunday, the party elected 138 members and 111 alternate members of its central committee. Including Choe, Pak and Ri, nearly 70 members of the central committee were replaced compared with the list from the eighth congress in 2021, marking a significant reshuffle of the top leadership body. Membership in the party central committee is almost a prerequisite for assuming a major official post in North Korea. Choe has served as director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army and then chairman o