On the heels of a report by South Korea¡¯s National Intelligence Service [NIS] on May 13th that North Korea¡¯s minister of the People¡¯s Armed Forces (MPAF), Hyon Yong Chol, had been executed for disloyalty, Daily NK¡¯s sources within the country reported reference to Hyon¡¯s execution during a political lecture for military officers stationed along the Sino-North Korea border, held at the beginning of this month. 

¡°The lecture, delivered by political department officers of the highest-ranking military unit, referred to Hyon as ¡®an autocratic warlord who refused orders from the Supreme Leader (Kim Jong Un),'¡± a source in South Pyongan Province told Daily NK on May 14th. ¡°The Party cadres conducting the lecture compared the recent event to the ¡®anti-party, anti-revolution Kim Chang Bong incident¡¯ of 40 years ago.¡± 

The ¡°Kim Chang Bong incident¡± refers to Kim Il Sung¡¯s orders for the purge and subsequent execution of Kim Chang Bong, the minister of National Security (now known as the Ministry of the People¡¯s Armed Forces), who, despite his background as a fellow fighter in Kim Il Sung¡¯s anti-Japan guerilla movement, was executed in 1968 for opposing the North Korea's singular state ideology and embodying anti-party/counter-revolutionary elements. Scores of others met with the same fate, including Ho Bang Hak, the then-chief of the Division for Southern Intelligence. 

No specifics about the execution method or the details of Hyon Yong Chol¡¯s crime were broached during the lecture, according to the source, who said the core message revolved around reiterating that ¡°the military must unconditionally adhere to the monolithic leadership," and elaborated that the lecturer condemned Hyon as a dogmatic warlord, warning all attending the meeting to take every precaution to thwart any and all signs of internal unrest.    

As one might expect, ideological sessions to deter ¡°anti-party and anti-revolutionary¡± factions are soon expected to follow. ¡°It seems that ideology tests of cadres will follow soon, given that the head of MPAF was executed for refusing mandates from the Supreme Leader,¡± he predicted. ¡°The incident marks the execution of the highest-ranking official since Jang Song Thaek, meaning that nobody knows what else this situation could portend; military officials in particular are exercising extreme caution."

News of this incident as a link in a broader chain of executions pouring out of Pyongyang has tensions running rampant within the military. ¡°Personnel are unable to conceal their fears after catching wind of Hyon¡¯s execution, saying, ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on; it seems that status as a high-ranking official is meaningless these days,¡± according to the source. 

Party cadres ¡°hearts pump wildly,¡± as the source put it, when summoned for daily tasks by higher levels of command; he added that many in the central ranks of command worry most about their susceptibility of becoming proverbial ¡°shrimp among whales,¡± an analogy common in both Koreas to describe the unfortunate position of being caught in power struggles between two superpowers. 

¡°They say that they¡¯d likely be better off just living as ordinary members of society and laying as low as possible,¡± he explained.   

A different source in Yangkang Province close to the military stated, ¡°Word of Hyon Yong Chol being executed in front of military personnel by an anti-aircraft gun made its way to high-ranking officials 10 days ago.¡± She confirmed that Hyon was branded a ¡°warlord," and executed for his insubordination to the Highest Dignity (Kim Jong Un), doing things on his own terms, and dozing off at a meeting. 

The source in South Pyongan Province touched on reactions among soldiers regarding the event, saying, ¡°Younger soldiers learned about Party¡¯s struggles against anti-revolutionaries of four decades ago, such as Kim Chang Bong and Ho Bong Hak--but only in history courses.¡± 

¡°None of them thought that something similar could take place in a contemporary context; they find the whole thing very unsettling, worrying about what this could lead to do in their country,¡± he pointed out.

Hyon¡¯s tumble from the higher echelons of power and subsequent demise have been frequent topics of conversation among ordinary residents packed within the passenger cars of trains [a situation offering more opportunities to speak without alerting surveillance]. The source, reflecting these sentiments, said, ¡°They say, ¡®What¡¯s the use of becoming a Party cadre? It¡¯s best to just make good money outside of politics to avoid incidents like that.¡± 

The incident has evoked a stronger response from senior citizens, who see the recent execution as an ominous harbinger, comparing the entire string of executions to those carried out during the later part of the Chosun Dynasty. 

Daily NK inquired as to why any references to and depictions of Hyon have yet to be removed from historical films and documents--a symbolic, customary practice in North Korea regarding purged officials.  ¡°In the case that they delete all reference to him after his execution, everyone outside of the country would be able to confirm the purge; that¡¯s why they haven¡¯t deleted him yet,¡± he explained.

He drew a parallel to Ri Yong Ho, the former Chosun People¡¯s Army chief-of-staff, as strongly influencing this course of action, or rather, inaction. ¡°After Ri Yong Ho was purged he was promptly removed from all media content, unleashing a torrent of negative public response across the international community and prompting North Korea to let the dust settle a bit before doing the same this time,¡± the source concluded.

*The content of this article was broadcast to the North Korean people via Unification Media Group [UMG].