North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un Orders Death Of 15 Senior Officials

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un has ordered the death of 15 people this year, according to South Korean officials. That number is expected to rise.

The Guardian reports that a briefing by the National Intelligence Service (NIS) revealed that among those Kim sentenced to death were two vice-ministers, as well as other senior officials who complained about his policies.

Lawmaker Shin Kyoung Min stated according to National Intelligence Service chief Lee Byoung Ho, that one official killed was a vice-minister from North Korea’s forestry department who was punished for objecting to Kim’s forestry plan.

Another senior official was executed for objecting to Kim’s plans to erect a building shaped like a flower, which was to be named after Kim’s grandfather, North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.

According to Lee, also among those murdered were four musicians from North Korea’s Unhasu Orchestra, who were executed in March by a firing squad. Lee stated Kim’s regime accused them of being spies, according to The Huffington Post. It is not known how South Korean intelligence acquired this information.

Kim’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, was once a singer with the Unhasu Orchestra. As previously reported by the Inquisitr on April 14, 2015, Ri Sol-ju recently made a rare public appearance, celebrating the 103rd birthday of the dictator’s grandfather.

According to South Korean intelligence, Kim has systematically executed senior officials since taking over the regime in 2011 from his father. The North Korean leader ordered the death of his own uncle, Jang Song Thaek, in 2013 after suspecting him of treason.

Jang was reportedly the second most powerful man in North Korea. Kim, believed to be in his 30’s, has struggled to keep control of his position. NIS suggested Kim is employing the same heavy-handed tactics as his predecessors to maintain control of his regime.

The North Korean leader is suspected to attend Russia’s Moscow Day Activities, which takes place on May 9 and celebrates Russia’s 70-year victory over the Nazis. Some analysts question whether Kim will attend an event where the spotlight is shared with leaders from other nations, rather than a two-nation tete-a-tete.

South Korean intelligence reported Kim hasn’t yet booked a hotel, although the North Korean embassy is well-equipped to host him. The trip would be Kim’s first trip overseas since his rise to power in 2011.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye will send representatives to the celebration, and it’s expected China and several former-Soviet countries will be in attendance. President Barack Obama and several European leaders will not attend.

[Image Credit: Wikipedia Commons]