The head of North Korea’s spy agency has become the most senior victim of another round of apparent purges ordered by the country’s leader, Kim Won-hong, the state security minister and a close aide to the leader, was sacked in mid-January after being accused of corruption, abuse of power and human rights abuses, according to the unification ministry in Seoul, which handles cross-border issues.
| Human rights abuses? In North Korea? The KCNA guy really reached into his bag of tricks for that one... |
Estimates quoted by South Korean media put the number of military and government officials killed in the purges at more than 100.
Jeong Joon-hee, a unification ministry spokesman, said the sacked Kim, 72, had been instrumental in conducting North Korea’s “reign of terror” against its citizens, adding that his sacking could mark the start of a period of political uncertainty for the regime.
“There is always a possibility that purges continue as part of constantly strengthening power,” Jeong said, according to Yonhap. “Instability in the North Korean regime is likely to increase as the elite members may become agitated and the regime’s control over ordinary North Koreans could weaken.”