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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (File Photo) |
By Ankit Panda
General Pyon In-son, the head of operations of the KPA, was executed, reportedly for disagreeing with Kim Jong-un.
Recent reports based on comments by an anonymous South Korean official suggest that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might have embarked on a new military purge. General Pyon In-son, the head of operations of the Korean People’s Army and a swift riser through KPA ranks, was reportedly “killed for expressing an opinion different to that of Kim,” according to Bloomberg. The incident will emphasize discipline — i.e. complying with Kim Jong-un’s vision — across the entire KPA establishment.
Kim Jong-un, in general, is suspected to mistrust several senior KPA commanders, many of whom held senior positions during his father’s tenure as supreme leader. In November, Kim purged a senior National Defense Commission official, Ma Won-chun, for corrupt practices and a failure to follow orders. Purges have been an important part of Kim Jong-un’s lengthy power consolidation process. Most famously, in December 2013, Kim purged and executed his own uncle, Jang Song-thaek, who was at the time the effective second-in-command of the regime and its primary interlocutor with China.
Read the full story at The Diplomat