North Korea’s Vice Premier, Choe Yong-gon is reported to have been killed, reports South Korea’s news agency Yonhap.
According to reports, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered his execution by shooting earlier in May this year after he expressed discomfort against the young leader’s forestation policy.
Since taking over the charge after the death of his father Kim Jong-il in 2011, North Korean leaders has killed 70 of his top officials.
In April, South Korea’s intelligence agency said that 15 officials had been killed in the first four months of the year at the behest of Kim Jong-un. According to the agency, among them was also an official, who had expressed his displeasure over the leader’s forestation plan. It’s, however, not clear if the man killed then was Choe Yong-gon.
Only two months ago, there were reports of North Korean defence minister Hyon Yong-chol being executed by anti-aircraft fire for allegedly showing disloyalty to his leader.
Most notably in 2013, Kim had Jang Song Thaek, his uncle and the country’s second-most powerful official, killed following suspicions that he was plotting a coup.
North Korea has been suffering from one of its worst drought in history. The young leaders is very keen to tackle this through his ambitious forestation plan. Quite recently, he had delivered a speech, where he talked about preventing floods by planting more trees.
Choe Yong-gon was appointed as one of country’s seven vice-premiers and was made deputy minister of construction and building material industries. His appointment was being seen as North Korea’s intention to improve ties with its enemy, South Korea because Choe Yong-gon had North Korea in trade talks in Seoul in the mid-2000s.