North Korea defector reveals horror details of Kim Jong-un’s torture and execution methods
Forced to watch his friends tortured, doused in their blood then later shot by anti-aircraft guns — this is how Kim Jong-un purged his uncle.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un forced his uncle to watch the executions of his friends and colleagues, before their blood was poured over him until he fainted, it has been claimed.
The shocking allegation is just one of several startling new revelations about the brutal regime leader’s favoured methods of torture and execution, exposed by a North Korean defector.
Kang Cheol-Hwan spent 10 years in a concentration camp in his homeland before fleeing the secretive state.
He spoke to CNN about the many gruesome ways Kim Jong-un disposes of his enemies.
Mr Kang said he had been told by eyewitnesses that two associates of the dictator’s uncle, Jang Song-thaek, had lumps of iron stuffed in their mouths before eight anti-aircraft guns were turned. Mr Song-thaek was forced to watch.
“They let it fire against these two people and these two people instantly disappeared and all the blood, it poured into Jang Song-thaek’s face, who was forced to witness them and he fainted,” Mr Kang told CNN.
The killings occurred in 2013 — and just months later, Mr Jang was then allegedly killed in the same horrific way.
The dictator carried out the executions after learning his uncle had planned to overthrow him and install his half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, in his place. Kim Jong-nam was also executed.
Mr Kang also claimed a top police official who also had links to Mr Kim’s uncle was burned alive with a flamethrower due to the leader’s personal hatred of the man.
“Kim Jong-un especially hated him (the police official) so Kim ordered him to be executed by using a flamethrower, so he was burned alive without even using the machine guns,” Mr Cheol-Hwan said.
“Then after he was burned alive the tanks around him kind of crushed him.”
And he said another official and his wife both had their clothes removed before being killed by a pack of dogs.
Mr Kim allegedly wanted their bodies destroyed as he believed they weren’t worthy of being buried in North Korea.
Mr Kang’s evidence has been included in a North Korea Strategy Centre report into the rogue nation’s appalling human rights record.
He said all the executions included in his evidence came directly from the dictator himself.
The claims come as US President Donald Trump prepares to meet with Mr Kim for the second time in Hanoi in Vietnam this week.
But Mr Kang urged the US leader to remain firm with Mr Kim.
“President Trump, don’t take this bloody man’s hands. Meeting him in Vietnam, saying good things, he’s a murderer. It sends a very low signal to the world,” he said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed over the weekend that Mr Kim might be having second thoughts about nuclear weapons.
During a 2018 visit to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, Mr Kim allegedly said to Mr Pompeo: “I don’t want my children to carry the nuclear weapon on their back their whole life.”
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has tweeted about his confidence “Chairman Kim” would “make a wise decision” and choose to give up nuclear weapons — a move that could help his country “fast become one of the great economic powers”.
Mr Trump has been effusive about his North Korean counterpart, saying the pair exchanged “beautiful letters” and “fell in love” following their first summit in Singapore last June.
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