North Korean army officer killed

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (right) alongside Ri Yong-gil (C)GettyImages

A Senior North Korean military leader has been executed for “factionalism, misuse of authority and corruption,” a South Korean Government official with knowledge of North Korean affairs told CNN. Ri Yong-Gil, Chief of the Korean People’s Army General Staff, was executed earlier this month for forming a political faction and corruption, Yonhap news agency said, citing a source familiar with North Korean affairs. The report came at a time of highly elevated tensions on the divided Korean peninsula following the North’s recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch. Ri was often seen accompanying Kim Jong-Un on inspection tours, but his name was conspicuously missing from state media reports of a recent major party meeting and celebrations over Sunday’s rocket launch.His execution is the latest in a string of high-profile officials that have been purged in a dramatic fashion although the National Intelligence Service, NIS, in Seoul declined to comment on the report. Some reports confirmed that purges, executions and disappearances have been common since Kim took power following the death of his father Kim Jong-Il in December 2011. A large number of senior officials, especially military cadres, were removed or demoted as the young leader sought to solidify his control over the powerful army.
In the most high profile case, Kim had his influential uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, executed in December 2013 for charges including treason and corruption.