Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had his army 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 late 2011.
Ri Yong-gil, chief of the Korean People's Army (KPA) 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.
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.
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.
A South Korean official said that 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 and spoke on condition of anonymity because it involves confidential intelligence on North Korea. The government had previously leaked the details to South Korean media.
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 powerful 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.
(with AP inputs)
