North Korea reportedly punishes military officers

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Monday that North Korea has punished two of its top military officers, including one widely seen as its second-most-powerful official, during a highly unusual inspection of the military’s powerful political bureau.

According to a lawmaker who attended the closed-door briefing by the National Intelligence Service, it said the inspection of the North Korean military’s General Political Bureau was the first of its kind in 20 years and occurred because of its “impure” attitude, which it did not describe.

The spy agency said it obtained intelligence that the head of the bureau, Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong So, his top deputy, Kim Wong Hong, and other officers were punished, according to the lawmaker, Kim Byung-kee.

Hwang’s position as the military’s top political officer made him North Korea’s No. 2 official after leader Kim Jong Un, according to many South Korean analysts. If he were to be removed, it could lead to a major shift in North Korea’s secretive hierarchy of power.

It was unclear whether Hwang was verbally reprimanded, dismissed or banished to a rural area. The spy agency, which has a spotty record in reporting developments in North Korea, said it couldn’t publicly confirm Kim’s account of the briefing.

The report came as North Korea is struggling to head off international sanctions that were toughened after its sixth and biggest nuclear test in September.

Since taking office in late 2011,

Kim Jong Un has orchestrated a series of high-profile purges, dismissals and executions in what foreign experts say is an attempt to bolster his grip on power and remove anyone seen as a challenge to his leadership.