The South Korean government was bashed by local media for releasing a false execution report on North Korean high-ranking official Ri Yong Gil, who was revealed to be alive in a recent edition of North Korean Rodong Sinmun.

Seoul’s motive behind the false release has been questioned in Seoul’s newspapers, as word of Ri’s “death” was released by Seoul only two hours before the announcement was made to close down the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC) on February 10.

“The North reported Ri Yong Gil’s return to his post with his photo being displayed as well, so we should take that