Pyongyang executes army chief of staff, according to South Korean reports

North Korea has executed its army chief of staff, Ri Yong Gil, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported yesterday, which, if true, would be the latest in a series of executions, purges and disappearances under its young leader.

The news comes amid heightened tension surrounding isolated North Korea after its Sunday launch of a long-range rocket, which came about a month after it drew international condemnation for conducting its fourth nuclear test.

A source familiar with North Korean affairs also told Reuters that Mr Ri, pictured above with leader Kim Jong-un, had been executed.

Mr Ri, who was chief of the Korean People’s army general staff, was executed this month for corruption and factional conspiracy, Yonhap and other South Korean media reported.

Yonhap did not identify its sources. The source who told Reuters the news declined to comment on how the information about the execution had been obtained.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service declined to comment and it was not possible to independently verify the report. The North rarely issues public announcements related to purges or executions of top officials.

A rare official confirmation of a high-profile execution came after Jang Song Thaek, Mr Kim’s uncle and the man who was once considered the second most powerful figure in the country, was executed for corruption in 2013. In May last year, the North executed its defence chief at a firing range, the South’s spy agency said.

– (Reuters)