Times Colonist

North Korean army chief executed, South reports

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SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has had his military chief executed for corruption and other charges, a South Korean official said Thursday.

If true, the execution of Ri Yong-gil, chief of the North Korean military’s general staff, would be the latest in a series of killings, purges and dismissals since Kim took power in 2011.

Details about North Korea’s opaque government are notoriousl­y difficult for outsiders to get, even national government­s, and South Korean officials have a spotty record of tracking developmen­ts in North Korea.

A South Korean official said Ri’s execution was part of Kim’s effort to bolster his grip on power. Other charges Ri faced before his execution was abusing his power and forming a clique, the official said.

The official didn’t say how the informatio­n was obtained.

Ri, an army general who took up the top military job in 2013, had been considered as one of Kim’s trusted aides because he frequently accompanie­d his inspection tours of army units and factories.

Speculatio­n about his fate flared after he missed two key national events in North Korea — a meeting of senior ruling Workers’ Party officials and a rally celebratin­g the North’s rocket test this week.

The Workers’ Party meeting presided over by Kim focused on rooting out corruption and abuses of power and “bureaucrat­ism,” according to the North’s state media.

South Korea’s intelligen­ce service said last year that 70 North Korean officials have been executed since Kim’s inaugurati­on. The most notable executions were the killings of Armed Forces Minister Hyon Yong-chol for disloyalty in 2015 and Kim’s uncle Jang Song Thaek for alleged treason in 2013.

Some outside experts have said repeated bloody power shifts in North Korea indicated the young leader is still struggling to establish himself.

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