'They were held responsbile for Hanoi summit breakdown'
By Lee Min-hyung
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is carrying out a large-scale purge of officials and diplomats dealing with the United States, holding them responsible for the failure of his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, according to a media report, Friday.
Responding to the report from the conservative Chosun Ilbo, Cheong Wa Dae said it could not confirm whether it was true.
"It is not proper for us to make any rash comments on the report," a presidential aide told reporters, asking not to be named. "We have nothing to say, even though we keep track of any unusual signs from the North."
The unification ministry declined to comment.
The newspaper reported that Pyongyang has executed Kim Hyok-chol ― who headed working-level talks for the Hanoi summit in February ― and four other ranking officials by firing squad for espionage, citing unnamed sources.
"Kim Hyok-chol and the four officials from the North's foreign ministry were executed in March at the Mirim Air Base (in Pyongyang)," Chosun Ilbo quoted a source as saying.
"Kim Yong-chol, who used to be the North's key nuclear negotiator, was also dismissed from his position and sent to Chagang Province for forced labor."
Both figures were among the highest-ranking officials to arrange schedules and agendas for the second meeting between Trump and Kim in the Vietnamese capital. They had not made public appearances since the summit fiasco.
The report also said that Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong-un, is lying low.
On Thursday, the North's state-run Rodong Sinmun also hinted at the purges of officials.
"Those who fail to remain loyal to the North's leader will be subject to strict judgment," it said. But the propaganda media outlet did not specify who would be executed.
With the summit ending in failure, Washington and Pyongyang are showing no signs of resuming their nuclear negotiations. And the North has not replied to any suggestions for talks from the South.
The purge report came as South Korea is reviewing plans to provide North Korea with humanitarian food aid in the face of a reported worsening food shortage.
The South had decided to offer help worth $8 million to the North through two U.N. agencies ― the WFP and UNICEF.
Ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Sul Hoon said Friday the government plans to provide 50,000 tons of rice to North Korea next week via an international organization. But the unification ministry denied this, saying nothing has been decided regarding offering food aid to the North.
By Lee Min-hyung
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| Kim Yong-chol |
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| Kim Hyok-chol |
Responding to the report from the conservative Chosun Ilbo, Cheong Wa Dae said it could not confirm whether it was true.
"It is not proper for us to make any rash comments on the report," a presidential aide told reporters, asking not to be named. "We have nothing to say, even though we keep track of any unusual signs from the North."
The unification ministry declined to comment.
The newspaper reported that Pyongyang has executed Kim Hyok-chol ― who headed working-level talks for the Hanoi summit in February ― and four other ranking officials by firing squad for espionage, citing unnamed sources.
"Kim Hyok-chol and the four officials from the North's foreign ministry were executed in March at the Mirim Air Base (in Pyongyang)," Chosun Ilbo quoted a source as saying.
"Kim Yong-chol, who used to be the North's key nuclear negotiator, was also dismissed from his position and sent to Chagang Province for forced labor."
Both figures were among the highest-ranking officials to arrange schedules and agendas for the second meeting between Trump and Kim in the Vietnamese capital. They had not made public appearances since the summit fiasco.
The report also said that Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of Kim Jong-un, is lying low.
On Thursday, the North's state-run Rodong Sinmun also hinted at the purges of officials.
"Those who fail to remain loyal to the North's leader will be subject to strict judgment," it said. But the propaganda media outlet did not specify who would be executed.
With the summit ending in failure, Washington and Pyongyang are showing no signs of resuming their nuclear negotiations. And the North has not replied to any suggestions for talks from the South.
The purge report came as South Korea is reviewing plans to provide North Korea with humanitarian food aid in the face of a reported worsening food shortage.
The South had decided to offer help worth $8 million to the North through two U.N. agencies ― the WFP and UNICEF.
Ruling Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Sul Hoon said Friday the government plans to provide 50,000 tons of rice to North Korea next week via an international organization. But the unification ministry denied this, saying nothing has been decided regarding offering food aid to the North.
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