- The state news agency does not elaborate on his illness
- Ri Yong Ho held several other posts in the government
- Report: He was one of the country's most influential military leaders
(CNN) -- North Korea has relieved its army chief of all government posts because of an "illness," the state-run news agency said Monday.
Ri Yong Ho was also a member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, and vice-chairman of the party's Central Military Commission, the Korean Central News Agency said.
It did not elaborate on his illness.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Ri is believed to have been one of the most influential military figures in the North, having risen from obscurity as current leader Kim Jong Un started to be groomed for the presidency in 2009.
Ri was key in helping Kim assume control of the military after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, last year, Yonhap reported.
