No 'reason to doubt' North Korean army chief executed—US | Inquirer News

No ‘reason to doubt’ North Korean army chief executed—US

/ 01:51 PM February 12, 2016

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. AP FILE PHOTO

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. AP FILE PHOTO

WASHINGTON—There is “no reason to doubt” that North Korea’s army chief of staff was executed, a US State Department official said Thursday following reports of the death.

“This is, again, par for the course in North Korea, that you’ve got a leader who carries out purges of his cabinet, or of his administration periodically,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, but stopped short of confirming an execution.

Article continues after this advertisement

South Korean media reported Wednesday that Ri Yong-Gil, chief of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) General Staff, had been executed earlier this month for forming a political faction and corruption.

FEATURED STORIES

READ: Seoul: North Korean leader Kim had his military chief executed

“We’ve seen it, as you said, before, so we have no reason to doubt that this is the case this time — that this individual was killed, executed,” Toner said.

Article continues after this advertisement

Reports — some confirmed, some not — of purges, executions and disappearances have been common since Kim Jong-Un took power following the death of his father Kim Jong-Il in December 2011.

Article continues after this advertisement

The US government, which has no diplomatic relations with Pyongyang, did not “have much visibility” on the execution’s broader implications for the North Korean regime, Toner said.

Article continues after this advertisement

The report of the execution comes at a time of highly elevated tensions on the divided Korean peninsula following the North’s recent nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said a nuclear-armed North Korea poses an “overt threat, a declared threat to the world.”

Article continues after this advertisement

The top US diplomat tried to convince China in January to put more pressure on its North Korean ally and to hammer out a UN Security Council resolution to impose new sanctions against Pyongyang.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

TAGS: Execution, Kim Jong-Un, North Korea

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.