Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • SCOTUS
  • Life
  • Religious Liberty
  • News
  • Politics
  • Faith
  • Opinion

U.S. Commander: North Korea Is Stepping Up Executions — Here’s Why

Kim Jae-Myeong/Donga Daily via Getty Images
Kim Jae-Myeong/Donga Daily via Getty Images
Share Tweet
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

January 31, 2018

The top U.S. commander in the Korean Peninsula said Monday that North Korea has been stepping up executions of late, as economic sanctions imposed against the nation’s rogue regime reportedly take hold.

READ: The Single Bible Verse That Perfectly Explains America’s Education Crisis

Gen. Vincent K. Brooks told The Wall Street Journal that political officers have accounted for the brunt of these kills, with these individuals being executed over accusations of corruption.

“We’re seeing some increase in executions, mostly against political officers who are in military units, for corruption,” Brooks said. “[The killings] are really about trying to clamp down as much as possible on something that might be deteriorating and keeping it from deteriorating too quickly.”

Fox News has more about the dynamics that could be afoot inside North Korea:

The general’s comments come after rumors swirled that Hwang Pyong-so, a vice marshal who held the most senior position in North Korea’s military, was reportedly expelled and “punished” for “impure attitude.” Hwang hasn’t been seen in public since Oct. 13. South Korea’s spy agency first reported in mid-March the top aide and his deputy, Kim Won-hong, were killed out of Kim’s circle, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Kim Won-hong was reportedly sentenced to one of North Korea’s prison camps. As for Hwang, many of Kim Jong Un’s recent actions indicate the man whom the dictator has trusted for about a decade was executed — possibly by the infamous firing squad that also killed Kim’s uncle, Jang Song Thaek.

International sanctions that were imposed on North Korea after the regime tested ballistic missiles could be impacting these decisions, as the regime reportedly faces resulting pressures.

Either way, these executions wouldn’t be shocking, considering that Kim Jong-un has killed members of his own family, as The Daily Mail noted.

In 2013, Jang Song-thaek, the leader’s uncle, was put to death for allegedly plotting to overthrow the government. The nation’s official news agency called Song-thaek “despicable human scum” and said he was “worse than a dog.”

Reports of a purported increase in executions in North Korea come as President Donald Trump shared North Korean defector Ji Seong-ho’s harrowing story of struggle and survival at the hands of the nation’s ever-brutal regime; Trump told Seong-ho’s story during Tuesday night’s State of the Union address — and the defector received a standing ovation from the audience.

Latest

  • culture

    ‘I…Won’t Be Competing’: ‘Soul Surfer’ Legend Bethany Hamilton Speaks Out Against League’s New Trans Policy

  • News

    The Chosen’s Season Three Finale Lands in Top 10 in Weekend Box Office

  • Entertainment

    ‘Full-On, Openly Satanic’: Sam Smith ‘Unholy’ Grammy Performance With Devils, Horns Called ‘Diabolical’

  • News

    ‘It Blows My Mind’: Complete Strangers Miraculously Save Hockey Player During Pick-Up Game

  • Faith

    Mom Turns Teen Over to Cops After He Allegedly Carjacks Pastor: ‘The Hardest Thing But the Best Thing’


Sponsored
Sponsored

Newsletter
Signup

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • ‘I…Won’t Be Competing’: ‘Soul Surfer’ Legend Bethany Hamilton Speaks Out Against League’s New Trans Policy
  • The Chosen’s Season Three Finale Lands in Top 10 in Weekend Box Office
  • ‘Full-On, Openly Satanic’: Sam Smith ‘Unholy’ Grammy Performance With Devils, Horns Called ‘Diabolical’
  • ‘It Blows My Mind’: Complete Strangers Miraculously Save Hockey Player During Pick-Up Game
  • Mom Turns Teen Over to Cops After He Allegedly Carjacks Pastor: ‘The Hardest Thing But the Best Thing’

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • Christian Persecution
  • Coronavirus
  • culture
  • Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Faith
  • Faith
  • Family
  • George Floyd
  • Go!
  • Israel
  • Life
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • Media
  • Men
  • Mission Haiti
  • News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • P.O.V
  • Politics
  • Politics
  • Sponsored
  • Sports
  • Virtue
  • Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?