North Korea official's disappearance 'unprecedented," Seoul says

SEOUL, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- A top North Korean aide remains missing after a state funeral was held in honor of Ri Ul Sol of the Korean People's Army, who died on Saturday of lung cancer.

Workers' Party Secretary Choe Ryong Hae, who has often served as Pyongyang's envoy to key trips to Russia and China, was not included on a roster of top-official names that Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un made public at the funeral on Sunday, South Korean outlet News 1 reported.

Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said on Monday that, "In light of past cases, it is true the omission is unprecedented."

Choe's disappearance is an unexpected surprise for analysts studying the regime. Choe was Kim's representative to Beijing during China's Victory Day parade, and was included in a meeting between North Korean and Cuban officials in September.

North Korea did not issue statements that confirmed whether or not Choe was removed from his office, but the Pyongyang official was active in public life as recently as Oct. 31, when he issued an editorial in state newspaper Rodong Sinmun that declared the beginning of a "new era of Juche revolution," and praised the upcoming meeting of the Communist Party in May 2016.

Juche is the North Korean political ideology of self-reliance, centered on the principle of building resistance against the threat of external forces.

Chung Sung-jang, a researcher at South Korea's Sejong Institute, said the absence of Choe at the state funeral is likely to rattle the North Korean leadership, Yonhap reported. Chung said the influence of the traditional North Korean caste system could be eroding, and a show of "infinite loyalty" is expected to rise under Kim.

Some analysts, however, have told News 1 there is speculation about Choe Ryong Hae's health. Choe has previously been seen walking with a limp, and could be suffering from a chronic health problem.