North Korea executes Defence Minister for “dozing off”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has had his defence minister executed with anti-aircraft fire for insubordination and dozing off during formal military rallies

Published on:

13 May 2015, 5:55 am

File photo of senior North Korean military officer Hyon Yong Chol attending the 4th Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS) in Moscow

From Agence France-Presse

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has had his defence minister executed with anti-aircraft fire for insubordination and dozing off during formal military rallies, South Korean intelligence said Wednesday, hinting at possible instability in the Pyongyang leadership.

If confirmed, it marks another demonstration of Kim's ruthlessness in dealing with even the most senior officials suspected of disloyalty, following the execution of his uncle and one-time political mentor Jang Song-Thaek in 2013.

It also points to possible power struggles within the top leadership, following Kim Jong-Un's decision to cancel a scheduled visit to Moscow last week in order to deal with "internal issues".

Late last month, the NIS reported that Kim had ordered the execution of 15 senior officials so far this year, including two vice ministers, for questioning his authority.

In a briefing Wednesday to a parliamentary committee, Han Ki-Beom, the deputy director of the South's National Intelligence Agency (NIS) said hundreds of people witnessed the execution of minister Hyon Yong-Chol, which was believed to have been carried out with an anti-aircraft gun around April 30 at a military academy in northern Pyongyang.

Hyon had visited Russia in April — partly to pave the way for Kim's scheduled trip to Moscow to attend a May 9 parade marking the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

The NIS told the committee that the minister had been arrested for expressing dissatisfaction with Kim's leadership, repeatedly ignoring his orders and dozing off during a rally that Kim presided over.

Yang Moo-Jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said Hyon's purge and execution was a shock.

Hyon had visited Russia in April — partly to pave the way for Kim's scheduled trip to Moscow to attend a May 9 parade marking the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Yang speculated that the minister might have botched his mission, amid reports that he had been tasked with brokering a weapons deal in return for Kim's presence at the Moscow event.

Kim cancelled his attendance just days before the parade, citing "internal North Korea issues".

North Korea