Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. 24/7 Space News .




NUKEWARS
Questions over N. Korea defence chief execution
By Jung Ha-Won
Seoul (AFP) May 14, 2015


Doubts surfaced Thursday over the reported execution of North Korea's defence chief as South Korea's spy agency clarified that it had been unable to verify he had been put to death.

Briefing a select parliamentary committee on Wednesday, the National Intelligence Service said Defence Minister Hyon Yong-Chol had been purged, and cited intelligence suggesting he may have been executed on April 30 using an anti-aircraft gun.

The grim details of Hyon's demise dominated headlines, but the NIS on Thursday stressed that his execution had never been confirmed.

"Hyon has been purged," an NIS spokesman told AFP.

"And there are intelligence reports that he might have been executed, but this has not yet been verified," the spokesman said.

The confusion is partly the result of the way NIS briefings to parliament are carried out and reported.

They take place behind closed doors, after which selected lawmakers pass on the information to the South Korean media -- resulting in a gap between the original NIS briefing and the resulting headlines.

According to the lawmakers, the NIS said Hyon was purged for disloyalty and dozing off during official events presided over by leader Kim Jong-Un.

If confirmed, it marks the most high-profile elimination of a top Pyongyang official since the purge and execution of Kim's powerful uncle, Jang Song-Thaek, in December 2013.

The NIS had correctly reported Jang's downfall before it was confirmed by North Korea, but the agency has had some intelligence failures as well as successes in analysing events north of the border.

- Questionable conclusions -

The NIS knows its briefings will be relayed to the media, so the information it divulges is usually deemed to have been carefully vetted for accuracy.

But some of the lawmakers who attended Wednesday's briefing, as well as some independent analysts, have questioned the agency's conclusion on Hyon.

Shin Kyoung-Min, an opposition MP, said it was "odd" that North Korean state TV had continued to show recorded footage featuring the defence minister even after he had supposedly been purged.

The state-run media typically deletes all past mentions of purged officials and air-brushes them from any TV footage.

Such officials are often simply not heard of again, and their fate could range anywhere from demotion and exile to the countryside, to jail or execution.

But old TV video of Hyon accompanying Kim was broadcast as recently as May 12.

"If Hyon has really been purged, and even executed, the TV station wouldn't be making such a mistake," Shin told a local radio station.

A search of Hyon's name on the website of Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, produced dozens of news stories -- the most recent dated April 30.

The same search on the North's official website, Uriminzokkiri, also produced hundreds of news stories.

The April 30 article in Rodong Sinmun named Hyon among those officials attending musical performances on April 28 and 29.

Cheong Seong-Chang, an analyst at the Sejong Institute think-tank in Seoul, said it was "highly unlikely" the North had arrested Hyon only a day later and executed him immediately.

"It's not like he was attempting to assassinate Kim Jong-Un ... so it is really hard to believe that he was executed in such a hasty manner," Cheong said.

"Also, his name should have been deleted from the North's websites long ago if he was really executed ... like Jang Song-Thaek," Cheong said.

All images and mentions of Jang, who often accompanied Kim on "field guidance trips" across the country, were deleted from official records after he was purged.

A current search of Jang's name on both Uriminzokkiri and Rodong Sinmun only shows stories relating to his arrest, purge and execution.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle




Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News





NUKEWARS
S. Korea's Park says North's sub missile threatens stability
Seoul (AFP) May 12, 2015
South Korean President Park Geun-Hye warned Monday that North Korea's recent submarine-launched ballistic missile test posed a "serious challenge" to regional stability and vowed a strong military response to any provocation from Pyongyang. Pyongyang's state media announced Saturday that a new SLBM had been successfully tested under the personal supervision of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ... read more


NUKEWARS
NASA's LRO Moves Closer to the Lunar Surface

European Space Agency Director Wants to Set Up a Moon Base

Russia Invites China to Join in Creating Lunar Station

Japan to land first unmanned spacecraft on moon in 2018

NUKEWARS
Student Mars Rover team will compete in Utah desert

NASA Announces Journey to Mars Challenge

UAE says on track to send probe to Mars in 2021

4,000+ Martian Days of Work on Mars!

NUKEWARS
Aitech Provides Subsystem and Computing Boards for Commercial Crew

The language of invention: Most innovations are rephrasings of the past

NASA Confirms Electromagnetic Drive Produces Thrust in Vacuum

NASA pushes back against proposal to slash climate budget

NUKEWARS
3D printer making Chinese space suit parts

Xinhua Insight: How China joins space club?

Chinese scientists mull power station in space

China completes second test on new carrier rocket's power system

NUKEWARS
Manned mission to ISS to be delayed due to cargo spacecraft's failure

Progress Incident Not Threatening Orbital Station, Work of Crew

Russia loses control of unmanned spacecraft

Japanese astronaut to arrive in ISS in May

NUKEWARS
'Team Patrick-Cape' supports Pad Abort Test

Local launch expertise; world-wide attention

Successful SpaceX escape test 'bodes well for future'

ILS And Dauria announce Proton/Angara dual launch services agreement

NUKEWARS
Astrophysicists offer proof that famous image shows forming planets

Astronomers detect drastic atmospheric change in super Earth

New exoplanet too big for its star

Robotically discovering Earth's nearest neighbors

NUKEWARS
Space debris from satellite explosion increases collision risk for space craft

Invisibility cloaks move into the real-life classroom

New modular, scalable radar passes Critical Design Review

Researchers develop artificial membranes with programmable surfaces




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.