Execution by anti-aircraft gun lays bare Kim's rule by fear

A year-and-a-half ago, when Kim had his uncle Jang Song-thaek executed for alleged high treason, the government in South Korea accused him of heading a “reign of terror” in the North.

Now, with reports circulating about the execution of Defence Minister Hyon Yong-chol for alleged insubordination, Seoul sees further proof of Kim’s aim to rule in an atmosphere of fear.

The suspected execution of the 66-year-old came as a surprise to commentators in South Korea. As recently as April 29, Hyon was being mentioned in state-controlled media. That same week he is said to have attended a concert at the People’s Palace of Culture in Pyongyang.

But then a day later, Hyon was executed using an anti-aircraft weapon with hundreds of people watching, according a report by the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS).

“The information sounds credible,” says Park Hyeong Jung, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) in Seoul, noting the NIS would be opening itself to ridicule if its account turned out to be false.

It remains unclear, however, what sources the secret service have for its information. Nor has there been any confirmation yet from North Korea. 

Much of what is reported about Kim has later turned out to be nothing but rumour. For example, reports from obscure media outlets had circulated that Jang had been executed by being fed to a pack of hungry dogs. It later turned out that the original source of that account was a satire.

If Hyon was in fact executed with an anti-aircraft weapon, it would be seen as further proof of the brutality of the regime.

The Human Rights Committee in North Korea, a group based in the United States, said that satellite images from October showed an execution carried out in a similar manner. The powerful anti-aircraft gun, which has a range of 8,000 metres, was fired at a person or persons from just 30 metres away.

A rise in the number of executions – usually by firing squad or hanging – under Kim is interpreted in Seoul as an attempt to shore up his shaky authority.

Purges are not unusual for the Stalinist regime and, according to the NIS, some 70 high-ranking functionaries have been executed since the start of the young leader’s rule more than three years ago.

KINU expert Park believes that Kim, who is around 30 years old, is firmly in the saddle.

“But his relationship with his aides is not a good one,” Park adds.

Indications of these are the frequent promotions and demotions of high-ranking officials. Nobody dares to contradict him. But it was precisely this, the NIS believes, that Hyon attempted to do. 

His perceived lack of respect shown toward Kim has now cost him his life. Park observed that when Kim Jong-il, Kim’s father who ruled up till his death in late 2011, faced difficulties in the mid-1990s, the number of public executions shot up dramatically. But as a rule the victims were normal citizens. By contrast, “Kim Jong-un’s target are the high-ranking functionaries,” says Park.