North Korean leader Kim Jong Un carried out a deadly purge following a failed February summit with President Trump in Vietnam, executing five people, including the country’s special envoy to the United States, Kim Hyok Chol, a report said Thursday.
“Kim Hyok Chol was investigated and executed at Mirim Airport with four foreign ministry officials in March,” South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported, citing an unnamed North Korean official.
Four other top officials were also put in front of a firing squad in March after they were charged with taking bribes and spying for the United States, according to the report.
A fifth top official, Kim Yong Chol, was sentenced to hard labor after the summit collapsed in late February, according to the report.
The Vietnam summit between Trump and Kim was abruptly cut short on Feb. 28 when the two leaders could not come to an agreement on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
Kim is believed to be carrying out a large purge in the aftermath of the failed summit, according to the report.
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