Joshua Berlinger | Oct. 24, 2012, 2:23 PM |
Since his father's sudden death, reports have surfaced that Kim Jong-un has been purging the North Korean military of "unsound elements" in order to tighten his grip on power.
It's not a new policy; Kim Jong-il executed plenty of his father's advisors and dissenters after Kim Il-sung passed away in 1994.
What is new is that Kim Jong-un is using mortar rounds to execute individual officers instead of a firing squad, according to reports from South Korean media.
Kim Jong-un allegedly asked loyal officials to get rid of "anyone caught misbehaving during the mourning period for Kim Jong-il."
Kim Chol, the North Korean vice-defense minister, was reportedly caught "drinking and carousing" in January, a month after Kim Jong-il died.
Intelligence data submitted to the lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee, claimed that Chol was executed by firing squad.
But a source inside the South Korean government said that Kim Jong-un ordered those carrying out the sentence to leave "no trace of him behind, down to his hair."
The source added that "the official was placed on the spot where the round would hit, and the grisly execution obliterated him."
North Korean army minister 'executed with mortar round'
A North Korean army minister was executed with a mortar round for reportedly drinking and carousing during the official mourning period after Kim Jong-il's death.
Mortar Photo: ALAMY
Kim Chol, vice minister of the army, was taken into custody earlier this year on the orders of Kim Jong-un, who assumed the leadership after the death of his father in December.
On the orders of Kim Jong-un to leave "no trace of him behind, down to his hair," according to South Korean media, Kim Chol was forced to stand on a spot that had been zeroed in for a mortar round and "obliterated."
The execution of Kim Chol is just one example of a purge of members of the North Korean military or party who threatened the fledgling regime of Kim Jong-un.
So far this year, 14 senior officials have fallen victim to the purges, according to intelligence data provided to Yoon Sang-hyun, a member of the South Korean Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee.
Those that have fallen from favour include Ri Yong-ho, the head of the army and Ri Kwang-gon, the governor of the North Korean central bank.
Analysts suggest that Mr Kim, who took over as head of state after the death of his father late last year, is acting to consolidate his own power base and deter any criticism of his youthfulness and inexperience. Mr Kim is believed to be either 28 or 29.
"When Kim Jong-un became North Korean leader following the mourning period for his father in late December, high-ranking military officers started disappearing," a source told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper. "From information compiled over the last month, we have concluded that dozens of military officers were purged."
It also appears that Mr Kim ordered his loyal officials to use the excuse of misbehaviour during the mourning period for his father to remove any potential opponents.
Other officials have been executed by firing squads, including Ryu Kyong, a senior intelligence expert.
Since being elevated to second-in-command of the nation by his father in September 2010, Kim has reportedly been behind the dismissal of at least 31 senior officials.
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