NORTH KOREA'S SECOND MOST POWERFUL OFFICIAL AFTER KIM JONG UN VANISHES, RAISING FEARS OF EXECUTION

BY SOFIA LOTTO PERSIO ON 12/14/17 AT 10:28 AM

The continued absence of one of North Korea’s top officials, General Hwang Pyong So, from leader Kim Jong Un's side continues to fuel speculation that he has fallen from favor and may have been executed.

Director of the hugely influential General Political Bureau of the North Korean military—the body that is tasked with ensuring ideological commitment within the ranks of the army—General Hwang has reportedly been expelled from the Workers’ Party, where he previously served in a senior position in the politburo.

An unidentified South Korean source told South Korea publication Korea JoongAng Daily that Hwang was purged from the party for taking bribes, but did not specify when the expulsion took place.

The reports about Hwang first emerged after the South Korean intelligence agency briefed Seoul lawmakers on the situation in North Korea in November, a week after a North Korean soldier staged a daring defection across the demilitarized border area.

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