Source:AP
THE disappearance of Kim Jong-un’s right-hand man has sparked fears the North Korean leader has gone on another purging spree.
Since he took over from his father, the young despot has not been shy in using the brutal tactic to rid himself of critics.
It has been estimated between 2012 and 2014 Kim Jong-un ordered the executions of 68 senior officials, the most high profile was that of his uncle and former mentor, Jang Song-thaek.
He has also ordered his aunt to be poisoned and there have been claims that this year alone he has ordered the execution of around 15 senior officials.
This is rumoured to also include four out of the seven men who stood beside the dictator at his father’s funeral.
So when Choe Ryong-hae, a senior secretary for the country’s ruling Worker’s Party, who was never far from his leader’s side, disappeared it was natural to assume he had been taken out.
His most notable absence was his non-appearance at the state funeral for an elderly military marshal, Ri Ul-sol, who died of lung cancer last Saturday, the Yonghap news agency reported.
Choe, who was once an envoy to Beijing, and is the son of a noted armed forces minister, was also not named as a member of the 170-person funeral committee.
But Kim Youg-Hyun, a professor at South Korea’s Dongguk University, doesn’t believe he has been purged.
He told VOAnews.com that a purged official is removed from official documentaries and news reports on state-run television, but that Choe was seen on TV just last week.
“He repeatedly appeared in North Korean documentaries from November 4 to the 8, so we need to see carefully whether he has been purged or not.”
But it turns out Kim Jong-un has taken a different tact. It appears he sent his top aide back to school.
According to South Korean intelligence officials, Choe is being “re-educated” at Kim Il Sung Higher Party School in Pyongyang — the place where all the country’s officials are trained.
Exactly why is still unclear.
The South Korean Yonghap news agency reported that Choe, who is in charge of labour groups, is on a farm in a rural area as part of his re-education to punish him for his poor performance in youth-related affairs.
It has also been reported that it might be related to problems in the construction of a dam near Mount Paektu, the supposed sacred birthplace of Kim Jong-il, Kim’s late father.
Whatever the reason, the intelligence officers say “re-education” is the most lenient, compared to writing a letter of self-criticism at home or serving time in rural areas or coal mines.
But they forgot to mention the most obvious — death.
If Kim Jong-un is taking a more lenient approach to those who he perceives as disappointing him maybe it’s for another reason — maybe he needs friends?
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