The vice premier of North Korea was reportedly executed in May on the orders of Kim Jong-un. According to Reuters, Choe Yong Gon was killed by firing squad after a dispute with the leader over the country's forestry policies.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported on Wednesday that Gon had become the latest high-ranking official to lose his life on the orders of the country's dictator.
The 62-year-old, a former diplomat for the tasked with improving relations with the south, had not been spotted in more than eight months. South Korean spies said he had been executed earlier this year.
Kim has ordered the executions of more than 70 high ranking North Korean officials since he took charge in 2011. In April, former defense chief Hyon Yong-Chol was reportedly executed by a large anti-aircraft gun for falling asleep during a military parade.
