Kim Jong-un executes officials over failed summit with Donald Trump

Kim Jong-un reportedly executes five senior officials in purge over failed summit with Donald Trump.

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un take a walk after their first meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi. Picture: AP.

Kim Jong-un has reportedly executed North Korea’s special envoy to the US and sent his own top deputy to a labor camp over the failed summit with Donald Trump in January.

The North Korean leader ordered the execution of at least five of his top foreign office officials after he failed to reach an agreement with the US President at their second summit, and ended up leaving the meeting early.

South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper reports that special envoy Kim Hyok-chol was executed in March with four other North Korean foreign ministry officials who were involved in the Hanoi summit.

North Korea's special representative Kim Hyok Chol was executed in March. Picture: AFP.

Kim Hyok-chol had been negotiations counterpart to US special representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun before the summit.

Mr Kim’s top deputy Kim Yong-chol, a senior official who had been US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s counterpart in the run-up to the summit, was reportedly sentenced to hard labor and ideological re-education.

Kim Jong-un with Kim Yong-chol, in Pyongyang before the summit. Picture: AFP.

An unnamed North Korean source told the newspaper Kim Yong-chul and the other four officials were executed at a North Korean airport for allegedly spying for the US.

“Kim Hyok-chol was investigated and executed at Mirim Airport with four foreign ministry officials in March,” the source said.

Other lesser officials, including Mr Kim’s interpreter, have been sent to political prison camps while Kim Yo Jung, Mr Kim’s sister who accompanied him to Hanoi has reportedly been ordered by her brother to “lie low.”

An unnamed South Korean government official told Chosun Ilbo: “We are not aware of Kim Yo-jong’s track record since the Hanoi meeting … We understand that Kim Jong-un has made her lie low.”

The newspaper reports that Mr Kim is carrying out a massive purge to divert attention away from internal turmoil and discontent.

North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun threatened the “stern judgment of the revolution” for anyone whose loyalty to Mr Kim came into doubt.

“Acting like one is revering the Leader in front (of others) but dreaming of something else when one turns around, is an anti-Party, antirevolutionary act that has thrown away the moral fidelity toward the Leader, and such people will not avoid the stern judgment of the revolution,” the newspaper said.

“There are traitors and turncoats who only memorise words of loyalty toward the Leader and even change according to the trend of the time,” the commentary said.

Reuters, Bloomberg