Kim Jong-un executes deputy for disagreeing with him

HE had his own uncle executed in cold blood. Now North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has executed an army general for the most bizarre of reasons.

NORTH Korea’s “Supreme Leader” Kim Jong-un has executed an army general for disagreeing with him, it has been revealed.

A South Korean official says that General Pyon In-son was killed last month for expressing an opinion that differed to Mr Kim’s, Bloomberg reports.

It is not clear what the two disagreed over.

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TO GO WITH NKorea-Russia-diplomacy-Kim,FOCUS by Giles Hewitt (FILES) This undated file picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on January 27, 2015 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (R) inspecting a winter river-crossing attack drill of the armored infantry sub-units of the motorized strike group in the western sector of the front of the Korean People's Army (KPA) at an undisclosed location in North Korea. North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un looks set to take an initial, tentative step onto the global stage with a visit in May, 2015 to Russia -- his first trip abroad since coming to power three years ago. REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT AFP PHOTO / KCNA via KNS --- THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY ----- AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE ---- THIS PHOTO IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY AFP ---EDITORS NOTE--- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / KCNA VIA KNS" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Kim regularly purges the upper ranks of his military to strengthen his power.

He had his own uncle and his deputy Jang Song-thaek executed in 2013 and he followed that up last year by killing as many as 50 officials for various charges, including watching South Korean soap operas.

Meanwhile, Kim has raised some eyebrows by exchanging a new year’s greeting cards with United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, who is South Korean.

This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on February 2, 2015 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) waving to participants of the meeting of military and political cadres for summing up the results of construction in 2014 and merited persons in the Korean People's Army (KPA), who contributed to the construction of major projects, at an undisclosed location in North Korea. AFP PHOTO / KCNA via KNS REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PHOTO IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY AFP. ---EDITORS NOTE--- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / KCNA VIA KNS" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

“Our leader has sent a new year’s card in return for Ban Ki-moon’s new year card,” a diplomat with North Korea’s mission to the UN, Kim Song, said of the rare exchange on Thursday.

North and South Korea technically remain in a state of war, and Pyongyang strongly objects to Seoul’s joint military drills with the US.