North Korea has executed its Vice Premier Choe Yong Gon (최영건) by “shooting”, apparently due to him voicing frustration at Kim Jong Un’s forestation policies, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported late Wednesday.

The alleged May execution, taking place just a month after reports Kim Jong Un ordered the purging of Defense Minister Hyon Yong Chol via anti-aircraft gun, follows claims Choe had not been publicly seen for the previous eight months.

“He was last witnessed in December last year at the ceremony to mark the third anniversary of the death of North’s former leader Kim Jong Il,” a Ministry of Unification (MoU) spokesperson told Yonhap News.

However, both the MoU spokesperson and