North Korea ‘stepping up its executions of top officers’

North Korea is ramping up executions of military officers in a bid to stop the regime ‘deteriorating’ too quickly under pressure from international sanctions, a US general has said.

General Vincent K Brooks, the most senior American commander in South Korea, said the Stalinist dictatorship’s ruler, Kim Jong-un, is ordering the deaths of political figures within the military who have been accused of corruption.

It comes after rumours spread that Vice Marshal Hwang Pyong-so, the most senior figure in the military, was expelled for his ‘impure attitude’. 

General Vincent K Brooks, the most senior American commander in South Korea, said the Stalinist dictatorship’s ruler, Kim Jong-un, was ordering the deaths of political figures within the military who have been accused of corruption. Pictured: Hwang (left) with Workers Party Secretary Choe Ryong Hae 

General Brooks told the Wall Street Journal: ‘We’re seeing some increase in executions, mostly against political officers who are in military units, for corruption.’ 

He added: ‘[Executions] are really about trying to clamp down as much as possible on something that might be deteriorating and keeping it from deteriorating too quickly.’

Kim’s former confidante Hwang vanished as part of a purge of senior military figures last year during a bid by the dictator to reduce the influence of the army.

Hwang, the head of the military’s powerful General Political Bureau, was once seen as the second-most powerful man in the secretive country. 

But he was last seen in public in early October at a gymnastics gala and, according to South Korean newspaper, JoongAng Ilbo, it is not known if he is still alive.

Since taking power in 2011, North Korea’s young leader has brutally removed anyone perceived as a potential challenge to his authority, including ordering the execution of family members. 

General Brooks said: ‘[Executions] are really about trying to clamp down as much as possible on something that might be deteriorating and keeping it from deteriorating too quickly’

Since taking power in 2011, North Korea’s young leader has brutally removed anyone perceived as a potential challenge to his authority, including ordering the execution of family members. Pictured: Kim watching a Hwasong-12 launch in September 

Kim’s former confidante Hwang vanished as part of a purge of senior military figures last year during a bid by the dictator to reduce the influence of the powerful army

Hwang was reportedly sentenced to a prison camp but Kim’s recent actions have led many to believe he suffered the same fate as the dictator’s uncle, Jang Song Thaek, who was executed in 2013.

Kim Won-hong, another politician and senior military figure, was also reportedly killed late last year. 

In his interview with the Journal, General Brooks also said an increasing number of North Koreans are defecting from the dictatorship.