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North Korea defence chief reportedly executed with anti-aircraft gun
South Korean sources say Hyon Yong-chol was killed in front of hundreds of people, reportedly for behaviour such as falling asleep in Kim Jong-un’s presence.
Some of the means by which the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, is rumoured to have vanquished his domestic enemies since taking power in late 2011 are as imaginative as they are brutal flamethrowers, poison and ravenous dogs.
Whatever the method used, the reports that Kim has had his defence chief, Hyon Yong-chol, executed for the treasonable crime of behaving disrespectfully are a reminder that, for the rest of the world, establishing whether a purge has taken place at all is still largely a guessing game until Pyongyang chooses to issue confirmation.
The Guardian view on North Korea: even its elite may pay the price
Editorial - Pyongyang is known for its ruthlessness. But there may be method in its apparent madness
Read more
For instance, the 2013 execution for treason of Kim’s uncle and second in command, Jang Song-thaek, is not doubted. But initial reports that he was fed to more than 100 hungry dogs have been discredited.
This week, a high-ranking defector from the north claimed in an interview with CNN that Kim had his aunt (and Jang’s wife) Kim Kyong-hui dispatched, cold war-style, with a dose of poison about a year ago.
South Korean sources say Hyon Yong-chol was killed in front of hundreds of people, reportedly for behaviour such as falling asleep in Kim Jong-un’s presence.
Some of the means by which the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, is rumoured to have vanquished his domestic enemies since taking power in late 2011 are as imaginative as they are brutal flamethrowers, poison and ravenous dogs.
Whatever the method used, the reports that Kim has had his defence chief, Hyon Yong-chol, executed for the treasonable crime of behaving disrespectfully are a reminder that, for the rest of the world, establishing whether a purge has taken place at all is still largely a guessing game until Pyongyang chooses to issue confirmation.
The Guardian view on North Korea: even its elite may pay the price
Editorial - Pyongyang is known for its ruthlessness. But there may be method in its apparent madness
Read more
For instance, the 2013 execution for treason of Kim’s uncle and second in command, Jang Song-thaek, is not doubted. But initial reports that he was fed to more than 100 hungry dogs have been discredited.
This week, a high-ranking defector from the north claimed in an interview with CNN that Kim had his aunt (and Jang’s wife) Kim Kyong-hui dispatched, cold war-style, with a dose of poison about a year ago.
