North Korean leader reportedly executes his defense chief in front of audience

The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, has executed his defense chief for slacking off on the job, the South Korean spy agency claimed Wednesday.
The second-in-charge of North Korea's People's Armed Forces, Hyon Yong-chol, was shot by firing squad using an anti-aircraft gun in front of hundreds of people, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.

See also: Photoshoot shows Kim Jong-un reportedly climbing North Korea's highest peak

South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) reportedly said in a closed-door meeting that the incident happened at a shooting range in Pyongyang on April 30, after Hyon was seen dozing off during an event and ignored Kim's orders. Two lawmakers, who attended the meeting, released similiar accounts of the details discussed, the Associated Press reported.
One lawmaker, Shin Kyoung-min, said the NIS didn't release how the information was obtained but that it is believed to be credible. North Korea has not announced the execution, and the intelligence agency has not responded to the Associated Press request for comment.

A man watches a TV news program reporting that North Korean People's Armed Forces Minister Hyon Yong Chol was killed by anti-aircraft gunfire.

It is not the first time Kim has been behind bloody executions. Since taking over power from his dictator father, Kim Jong-il, in 2011, he has purged more than a dozen senior officials who have challenged his authority, according to the NIS. The methods with which the North Korean government is undertaking executions is also becoming more extreme, with reports of machine guns and artillery fire.
The most shocking execution came when the new leader killed his uncle, and believed mentor, Jang Song Thaek in December 2013 calling him "worse than a dog," according to North Korean state media.
There were unconfirmed reports from outside North Korea that Jang's entire immediate family had also been slaughtered. It followed the removal of the powerful relative from all his posts, after he was accused of corruption, drug use, gambling and being a traitor of North Korea.
Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Dongguk University in Seoul, said Kim Jong Un appears to be using purges to keep the military old guard in check as they pose the only plausible threats to his rule. Koh said Kim could be resorting to a "reign of terror" to solidify his leadership but that would eventually have only a limited effect if he fails to produce breakthroughs in resolving the country's economic woes.

The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, has executed his defense chief for slacking off on the job, the South Korean spy agency claimed Wednesday.
The second-in-charge of North Korea's People's Armed Forces, Hyon Yong-chol, was shot by firing squad using an anti-aircraft gun in front of hundreds of people, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.

See also: Photoshoot shows Kim Jong-un reportedly climbing North Korea's highest peak

South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) reportedly said in a closed-door meeting that the incident happened at a shooting range in Pyongyang on April 30, after Hyon was seen dozing off during an event and ignored Kim's orders. Two lawmakers, who attended the meeting, released similiar accounts of the details discussed, the Associated Press reported.
One lawmaker, Shin Kyoung-min, said the NIS didn't release how the information was obtained but that it is believed to be credible. North Korea has not announced the execution, and the intelligence agency has not responded to the Associated Press request for comment.

A man watches a TV news program reporting that North Korean People's Armed Forces Minister Hyon Yong Chol was killed by anti-aircraft gunfire.

It is not the first time Kim has been behind bloody executions. Since taking over power from his dictator father, Kim Jong-il, in 2011, he has purged more than a dozen senior officials who have challenged his authority, according to the NIS. The methods with which the North Korean government is undertaking executions is also becoming more extreme, with reports of machine guns and artillery fire.
The most shocking execution came when the new leader killed his uncle, and believed mentor, Jang Song Thaek in December 2013 calling him "worse than a dog," according to North Korean state media.
There were unconfirmed reports from outside North Korea that Jang's entire immediate family had also been slaughtered. It followed the removal of the powerful relative from all his posts, after he was accused of corruption, drug use, gambling and being a traitor of North Korea.
Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Dongguk University in Seoul, said Kim Jong Un appears to be using purges to keep the military old guard in check as they pose the only plausible threats to his rule. Koh said Kim could be resorting to a "reign of terror" to solidify his leadership but that would eventually have only a limited effect if he fails to produce breakthroughs in resolving the country's economic woes.