N. Korean vice premier executed in shooting: sources

This Rodong Sinmun photo released on Jan. 27, 2015, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un observing the military’s river crossing training. (Yonhap)

North Korea’s Vice Premier Choe Yong-gon is the latest official to be executed under Kim Jong-un’s rule of the communist country.

The reason behind the violent purge can be traced back to May when Choe dissented against Kim Jong-un’s forestation policy, which is currently being implemented to restore trees that have been ravaged by the ongoing drought.

The 63-year-old official had been killed by gunshot according to Yonhap News Agency.

Official South Korean government organizations have yet to publicly confirm the matter, but have begun actively investigating the case.

“Choe has not been seen publicly for about past eight months since he was last witnessed in December last year at the ceremony to mark the third anniversary of the death of North’s former leader Kim Jong-il,” the South’s Unification Ministry said in an official statement. “The government is closely watching to see what might have happened to him.”

The execution represents one of over 70 since 2011 under Kim Jong-un’s reign of terror.

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One Comment

1. Preventallwars.org

   August 13, 2015 at 4:41 AM

   The safe-keeping of North Korea’s nuclear weapons (NW) completely and personally controlled by their 32 year old despotic ruler, could be in grave doubt.

   These numerous executions could presage severe mental illness in the young supreme ruler. At least, he’d be severely paranoid of everyone near him since he had executed his family members -aunt’s husband and possibly she. The world should see his many executions more seriously if a future NW’s war is to be prevented.

   (In view of personal safety concerns, mentally competent national leaders controlling NW do so very safely. The post-1945 multiple-countries possessions ensure use of their NW would provoke retaliatory attacks that would easily convert them also into possible war casualties. NW’s are therefore not used in wars since then.)

   The above cannot be said of a potential mentally unstable absolute leader who may wish to also kill many thousands during his suicide. He only has to detonate his NW’s over an imagined enemy territory to dare the retaliations; to kill him and a wide swathe of his cowed population -since he can so readily kill as many as he desires of their other leaders. And they’re completely overawed into acting on his each and every personal wish.

   Kim Jong-un’s mental health should be seen without frivolity as he needs attentive watchfulness and expert mental health assessment -if the world would remain free of a NW war -especially South Korea, Japan and The USA which still has 28,000 soldiers in Korea’s DMZ.

   Reply