1) North Korean Army Figure Executed As Kim Jong-un Continues Bloody Purge BY Staff Reporter | October 24 2012 12:52 PM http://www.ibtimes.com/north-korean-army-figure-executed-kim-jong-un-continues-bloody-purge-853153 A senior North Korean military official was executed for allegedly “drinking and carousing” during the period of mourning for the country’s former leader, Kim Jong-il. According to a report in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Kim Chol, vice minister of the army, was detained on orders of Kim Jong-un, who took over the country following the death of his father last December. Kim Chol was subsequently executed by a round of mortar fire. South Korean media reported that Kim Jong-un wanted to leave "no trace of [Kim Chol] behind, down to his hair" and to have his body "obliterated." The Yonhap news agency of South Korea reported that the murder of Kim Chol is only a small part of a much wider purge of military and Communist Party figures that Kim Jong-un has undertaken to solidify his power base and remove any potential threats. Thirty-one senior officials have been purged by Kim Jong-un, according to Yoon Sang-hyun, a South Korean lawmaker. "Kim Jong-un is purging senior officials who are becoming an obstacle to his grip on power, performing poorly or expressing their dissatisfaction, according to his needs," Yoon stated. The other prominent dismissals included former chief of the military's general staff Vice Marshal Ri Yong-ho and senior intelligence official Ryu Kyong. "It appears that Kim Jong-un will continue to purge and dismiss ranking officials for some time as he consolidates his grip on power," Yoon said. However, the actual number of officials purged may be even higher. It is unclear how many of the figures removed from their posts have been executed. "When Kim Jong-un became North Korean leader ... high-ranking military officers started disappearing," another source told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper of South Korea. "From information compiled over the last month, we have concluded that dozens of military officers were purged
2) Kim Jong-un's mystery purge explained: reform is on its way
North Korean dictator apparently sacked military bigwig so he can implement free-market economic reform BY Ben Riley-Smith LAST UPDATED AT 15:43 ON Fri 20 Jul 2012 WHEN HE inherited the leadership of North Korea, Kim Jong-un was known as "the Great Successor". Now, as new information emerges about the reason behind his latest political maneuvering, another epithet may be more suitable: The Great Reformer.
Earlier this week it was reported that Kim Jong-un has stripped one of the most powerful men in North Korea, Ri Young-ho , of all his positions. As a member of the five-strong Politburo standing committee and a leading member of the military, his sudden departure, officially put down to illness by the country's state-controlled media, prompted wild speculation in the Western press.
Was Kim Jong-un knocking out potential rivals in a bid to assume more personal power? Would a Stalinist purge of the top brass soon follow?
Well, not exactly, according to a Reuters source in the North Korean government. The real reason is that Ri was an opponent to the major free-market economic reforms that Kim is trying to implement to kickstart the Hermit State's moribund economy.
The Guardian reports that Ri was one of the regime's most enthusiastic champions of the "songun" military-first economic policy pioneered by Kim Jong-un's father, Kim Jong-il, who died last December. The policy has been blamed for the mishandling of the economy and the crippling famine in the 1990s.
The decision to sack Ri from all his posts is, according to the paper, the "strongest sign yet" that Kim is "determined to implement long-overdue reforms to save the economy and prevent the regime imploding".
You only need to look at the endless displays of military might at every state occasion, or the honorific titles continually bestowed on Kim Jong-un, to appreciate how influential the military is in North Korea. Attempting to wrest control of the economy from a group of people who control the 1.2m-strong army suggests Kim is serious about reform.
"In the past, the cabinet was empty with no say in the economy," the source told Reuters. "The military controlled the economy, but that will now change."
Reports suggest that Kim Jong-un has formed a group at the top of his party to see how he can implement Chinese-style reforms in areas including agriculture. His hope, according to analysts, is that North Korea can attain the kind of speedy economic growth achieved by China in recent years.
