[snip] The analysts said that the death of the official, Ri Je-gang, coming soon after the death of another top official and the dismissal of yet another one, might instead help the son, Kim Jong-un, replace elderly leaders loyal to his father with those of his choosing. The North’s state-controlled media announced that Mr. Ri, a first deputy director of the Workers Party’s influential Organization and Guidance Department, died in a car accident soon after midnight on Wednesday. He was 80. [snip]